Machel, Graça (1945–)

The position of Mozambican women began to improve with the advent of independence. Under Portuguese colonialism, the status of women was inferior and they were prevented from social, political, and economic advancement. Very few of them could go beyond a primary school education. There were a few Mozambican women who went abroad to struggle to attain postprimary education. One of those women is Graça Machel. After completing her primary education at a Methodist mission school, Graça went to a university in Portugal on a mission scholarship. There she mingled with students from other Portuguese colonies and developed her liberation consciousness. Upon returning to Mozambique in 1973, Graça joined FRELIMO.

In 1974, Graça was appointed deputy director of the FRELIMO Secondary School at Bagamoyo, Tanzania, where hundreds of Mozambican youth who were denied education in their country had an opportunity to become educated. After independence in 1975, Graça became minister of education and culture and a member of FRELIMO's Central Committee. During her tenure as minister, the percentage of children enrolled in primary and secondary schools doubled. Graça married Samora Machel, the first president of Mozambique, in 1975, and together they had three children. Samora, who died in an airplane crash over South Africa in 1986, was a staunch supporter of the anti-apartheid struggle.

In the face of vast destruction caused by RENAMO, Graça Machel worked to improve conditions within her country and became president of the Foundation of Community Development, which improved and increased community access to the information and technology necessary for development. Graça also assumed the position of chairperson of the National Organization of Children of Mozambique, a position that allowed her to place orphans in comfortable homes, empower Mozambican women, and teach reconciliation.

Graça entered the global spotlight as a result of her July 1998 marriage to South African President Nelson Mandela. The couple commutes between South Africa and Mozambique, and Graça continues her work with many organizations in Mozambique and at the United Nations.

Graça Machel has been very active internationally and is world-renowned for her commitment to children's and women's rights, education, and development. She served as president of the National Commission of UNESCO in Mozambique, as a delegate to the 1988 UNICEF Conference, and on the steering committee of the 1990 World Conference on Education for All. In 1994, U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali appointed Graça the independent expert in charge of producing the U.N. Report on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, and Graça spent 1994–1996 traveling to investigate the plight of children in countries beset by war. The subject had never before been studied in depth, and Graça's report was groundbreaking. As a result of her report, the General Assembly authorized the secretary-general to appoint a special representative on the impact of armed conflict on children.

For her achievements, Graça Machel has received many awards. She received the 1992 Africa Prize, awarded annually to an individual who has contributed [Page 885]to the goal of eliminating hunger in Africa by the year 2000. In recognition of her contributions on behalf of refugee children, Graça received the 1995 Nansen Medal from the United Nations and the 1997 Global Citizen Award of the New England Circle.

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