Graça Machel is an international advocate for women’s and children’s rights; former freedom fighter and first Education Minister of Mozambique.

Graça Machel remains a fierce advocate for Africa’s successes and potential. She was a major force in increasing literacy and schooling in Mozambique and has spoken of the needs and rights of children and families from platforms all over the world.

Keynote for the Opening of the African Leadership Academy:

As President of the Foundation for Community Development (FDC), a not-for-profit Mozambican organisation she founded in 1994, Graça Machel promotes development by increasing community access to information and technology.

The FDC gives grants to civil society organisations to strengthen communities, facilitate social and economic justice, and assist in the reconstruction and development of postwar Mozambique.