I find myself profoundly saddened by the departure of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and simultaneously in celebration of his rich legacy. Amid these mixed emotions, I mourn the loss of a brother, my loyal friend and my spiritual leader. Ā Arch is the last of an extraordinarily outstanding generation of leaders that Africa birthed and gifted
Do your little bit of good where you are; itās those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world ā Desmond Tutu. Ā Ā Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu. Photo Credit: UN/The Elders.Ā Ā The GraƧa Machel Trust joins Africa in mourning the passing of Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu. We extend our
POLICY SUMMARY: The vision of the GraƧa Machel Trust (the Trust) is to nurture caring societies that value social justice, promote, and protect the rights of women and children. This vision as well as the Trustās commitment to upholding human dignity and human rights anchors the organisationās work. The Trust is committed to inculcating a
On 24th November 2021, the GraƧa Machel Trust was part of the African Development Bank Regional Civil Society Forum, which aimed to enhance stakeholder engagement at the regional level. It was stated by the Bank that each region has determined its most relevant theme, which highlights existing challenges and opportunities to enhance Civil Society engagement
Early childhood development (ECD) is recognised and entrenched within the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.Ā Ā Aspirations-Ā An Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children, and the SDGsĀ prioritise ending all forms of poverty, malnutrition, preventable
The GraƧa Machel Trust (GMT), under the Expert Leaders Group (ELG) on women's financial inclusion in the digital economy, recently launched national roundtable series which focused on tabling and sharing the agenda of the ELG and GMT Networks. This allowed key stakeholders to share strategies regarding the COVID-19 economic recovery response and progress implementation and
In 2020, the GraƧa Machel Trusts' Women's Economic and Social Advancement (WESA) programme conducted a financial inclusion best Practice study, Ā documenting the experiences of 60 women in the financial sector from South Africa and Zambia. The data published from this study reveals that women still need additional investor strategies to strengthen their business acumen related
It is estimated that over 400 million children are currently living on the African continent. But, how many children are aware of the existing child rights systems and mechanisms designed to protect their rights? According to Child Rights International Network, children are affected by all of the Sustainable Development Goals, and not only poverty, hunger,
The HAKI journey In 1994 James Cameron wrote the story to the 3-D sci-fi film Avatar, which was only released globally in 2009, and went on to make close to US$3 billion on the Box Office[1]. So why did he wait for so long to release the movie? Because in 1994, the technology to develop
In the December of 2016, the GraƧa Machel Trust birthed its first 100 high growth entrepreneur graduates in the Women Creating Wealth (WCW) programme in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. This number scaled to 300 in 2018 and as of 2021 we now have 430 graduates and alumni.Ā This Pan-African initiative has significantly grown businesses and positively
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenās 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 Childrenās Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsā 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 Trustās 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 motherās health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childās life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.