 The Graça Machel Trust is deeply saddened by the death of Ambassador Zindziswa Mandela, and would like express its heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the Mandela family and the people of South Africa at this difficult time.  We at the Trust honour and appreciate her contributions to the world as an activist, diplomat
 An Open Letter by: Graça Machel, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Vera Songwe, Maria Ramos  âTimes of Unprecedented Crisis Present Unique Opportunities for Unprecedented Actionâ  COVID 19 has unearthed massive inequalities within our societies and brought to glaring light the unique burdens which women carry the world over. Allocation of response
  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the Graça Machel Trust (GMT) has launched the Ilizwi (the voice): African Women and Children shaping policy discourse of the COVID-19 pandemic response. The initiative is driven by a growing need to have context-specific responses in order to mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic and to
 Johannesburg- South Africa, 13 March: The Graça Machel Trust (GMT) welcomes the recent recognition of its Founder Mrs. Graça Machel as one of Forbes Africa top 50 Influential women in Africa!  Machel graced the cover of the March Edition of Forbes Africa and was honoured last week for her role as one of
27 November 2019 -- Maputo, Mozambique Mrs Graca Machel Speech  Good morning!  Let me begin by welcoming you all to my home of Mozambique!  A very warm welcome to Maputo, especially to our guests who have come from afar to attend this symposium as well as my colleagues from the International Board of
 Maputo, November 27 2019 Child sexual exploitation is on the rise in Africa and is affecting the entire continent, according to a shocking new study released today [November 27]. An increasingly accessible and unregulated internet, combined with weak law enforcement and a rise in child sex tourism have together created a perfect storm of
20 November, 2019  The Graça Machel Trust is bringing the Women Creating Wealth Entrepreneurship Development Programme to South Africa. Women Creating Wealth is a Pan-African initiative that has significantly grown the businesses and positively impacted the entrepreneurial behaviours, skills, and confidence of women entrepreneurs.  The programme that has been tested in three African
Wednesday, 4 September 2019- University of Cape Town,  South Africa  I stand here as a grandmother to Uyinene, a grandmother in pain, and I can see and feel in everyone of us here, there is so much pain in the air. We are all wounded, some of us are extremely angry, others are confused, others
 University of Cape Town - Cape Town, 4 September 2019  Good Morning Vice Chancellor of UCT Professor Phakeng, Alan Doss, President of the Kofi Annan Foundation, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,  It is an honor to be with you here today for this important and timely discussion on democracy in our region. Â
CAPE TOWN, 3 September 2019  The Elders today expressed their support for the National Health Insurance (NHI) reforms proposed by South Africaâs President Cyril Ramaphosa, and urged all stakeholders to act with ambition and urgency to improve publicly-funded healthcare and build social solidarity.  Graça Machel, Deputy Chair of The Elders, Gro Harlem Brundtland,
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.