Johannesburg, Wednesday, February 7, 2023 Ā Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Let me commence my remarks with a couple of facts and figures for us to wrap our minds around today: Ā 100 years. That is how long it took activists to struggle for women to secure the right to vote in the United States.
The Expert Leaders Group (ELG) is a high-level expert group of strong African women leaders in the finance sector that are driving systemic actions to advance womenās active participation in the digital economy. In 2021, the GraƧa Machel Trust convened the ELG under the leadership of H.E Mrs GraƧa Machel, consisting of female Deputy Governors
Five inspiring facts about Jacqueline Dube. Ā In the next five years, we should be the biggest local producer of textile garments and be able to compete with imported finished garments so that we contribute towards the government's import substitution. We should have created over 500,000 direct and indirect jobs and set up another textile
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"
Women are significant contributors and drivers of economic growth through entrepreneurship and their involvement in the labour market. Although women-owned businesses have increased over the years, women continue to encounter many obstacles in sustaining their businesses, especially access to finance. Women require a level playing field in the banking and financial sector that will enable
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
Everyday inequality-related issue contributes to the death of 21,300 people. And this is a conservative estimate of the victims resulting from hunger, extreme weather events due to warming, lack of health care, and violence against women. Furthermore, the hypocrisy we witness every day: we see how European refugees fleeing war are treated with decency and
The Digital gender gap continues to expand across emerging markets. As a result, there is a rising need to address digital gender equality with targeted approaches, particularly among predominantly informal markets like rural communities, Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) segments. When women and girls are empowered through digital technologies, societies benefit
The GraƧa Machel Trust welcomes Shiphra Chisha as the new Director of Programmes. Ms Chisha's tenure began on Monday, 23rd May 2022. Her appointment clearly reflects the company's current state: ready to take on the future.Ā Ms Chisha holds a Master's in Business Administration, Bachelor of Commerce in Economics from the University of Johannesburg and Strategic
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.