Nairobi, Kenya - March 22, 2023  Afrishela (which means âher money in Swahili ) and promoted by the Graça Machel Trust, is honoured to be named an Emeritus Manager by Impact Assets in its annual ImpactAssets 50⢠(IA 50). The IA 50 is a free, publicly available, searchable database of impact investment fund managers
Businesswomen in the Financial Services Sector Graça Machel Trust in partnership with Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET) are excited to invite women-owned and run businesses operating in the financial services sector to apply for our Enterprise Development Programme: Women Creating Wealth (WCW).  According to a UN Women 2020 publication,
Melizsa Mugyenyi, Chief Executive Officer for the Graça Machel Trust.  At our core, we are an African-rooted organisation led by African women, who are co-creating solutions to some of the Continentâs biggest challenges together with the communities we serve.  Over the years, we have continued to tackle structural barriers to change
It has been over 29 years since the Zambian Federation of Associations of Women in Business (ZFWAB), which hosts the Graça Machel Trustâs Network of Women in Business (NABW), was established. Located in Lusaka capital of Zambia, ZFAWIB is a country-level non-governmental organisation which has successfully promoted womenâs entrepreneurial activities in all sectors of the
Women's financial inclusion should include a collective effort to ensure all women have adequate access to appropriate financial products. "Women are significant contributors and drivers of economic growth through entrepreneurship and their involvement in the labour market. The Graça Machel Trust's Chief Executive Officer, Ms Melizsa Mugyenyi, underlined this point during the Southern Africa Regional
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Conference on Women and Youth in Trade, convened under the patronage of Tanzania President H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan and in conjunction with the Government of Tanzania, Champion of Women and Youth in Trade under the AfCFTA Conference themed "Women and Youth: The Engine of AfCFTA Trade in Africa"
The past two years have shown us that challenges in the financial inclusion gender gap exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic need to be closed for women to have equal access to finance as men. The World Bank reports indicate that COVID-19's economic repercussions disproportionately affect women. Women-led businesses have experienced more of a decline in
A significant challenge women small business owners face is raising finance to grow their businesses. It is estimated that women's financing gap is $42 billion. The Graça Machel Trust WCW (Women Creating Wealth Programme) and African Development Bank AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for women in Africa) have joined hands to start closing this gap. Our
The Graça Machel Trust is delighted to announce that its Founder, Mrs Graça Machel is this year's Lifetime African Philanthropy 2022 Recipient. Mrs Machel was recognised during The African Philanthropy Conference on Wednesday, 3 August 2022, in Sandton, South Africa.  Mrs Machel was awarded this prestigious Award for her tremendous contribution and notable efforts
Africa is facing a crisis in education, but this is fundamentally a broader crisis in the condition of children. Over 97 million children in Africa are out of school; 52 million are girls. As the world emerges from the effects of COVID -19, these barriers have been compounded, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of African
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenâs rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Childrenâs Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsâ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trustâs goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a motherâs health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childâs life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.