Photo: Graça Machel Trust Archive  The 7th African Day of School Feeding is celebrated on 01 March 2022 to ensure that the COVID pandemic does not reverse the gains made in 2019, which saw 65.4million children receiving school meals on the African Continent. An unprecedented increase of 71% compared to 2013 was
To become better partners, banks are encouraged to design new ways to assess women entrepreneurs' full scale, including track record, entrepreneur profile, and how women in business manage to pay debts, overheads, and suppliers. On 8th March 2022, the Graça Machel Trusts' Women Economic and Social Advancement (WESA) Programme launched a Financial Inclusion Project Documentary
Do your little bit of good where you are; itâs those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world â Desmond Tutu.   Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu. Photo Credit: UN/The Elders.  The Graça Machel Trust joins Africa in mourning the passing of Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu. We extend our
The Center for Global Development (CGD) and Women in Global Health (WGH) on September 14th, 2021, hosted an event with experts on the Generation Equality Forum outcomes, focused on those from the Economic Justice and Rights Action Coalition. The experts were Jamille Bigio, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Gender Equality, USAID; Shungu Gwarinda, Director of Programs,
On 24th November 2021, the Graça 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
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,
Including more women-owned businesses in public procurement processes can empower them and benefit governments. According to the World Bank, 35% of all small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are women-owned, producing around 20% of GDP. United Nations Global Markets estimates that, in 2019, the UN spent close to USD 19.9 billion on goods, services and civil works purchases for its functions through
New Leadership at the Graça Machel Trust â Melizsa Mugyenyi Welcomed as New Chief Executive Officer  Johannesburg, 7th September 2021-  On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Graça Machel Trust, I am delighted to announce that Ms. Melizsa Mugyenyi has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Graça Machel Trust and
"The role of media is to bring all network ideas together. In the same spirit of having a visible network, we have to work together. We must find ways to communicate and support one another. Amplify each other's voices on social media." - Ms Susan Makore, the Deputy Chairperson of the Graça Machel Trust Women
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.