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Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement2024-10-08T11:37:24+02:00
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Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement

Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement

Igniting the innate agency of adolescent girls to become passionate advocates for their own rights.

About the movement
The Eagles
Where we work
Partner with us

Overview

Our vision at the Graça Machel Trust (GMT) is a prosperous Africa where women and girls drive the continent’s inclusive social, political, and economic transformation. We do this by promoting and amplifying new and established visions and voices of African women and girls committed to developing prosperous and equitable African communities and nations.

Our Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement is a dynamic initiative committed to igniting the innate agency within these young minds, encouraging them to take charge of their lives confidently, stand tall for themselves, and become passionate advocates for their own rights.

This indigenous African movement led and designed by adolescent girls themselves, addresses societal barriers that impede their holistic development.

About the movement

The Pan African Adolescent Girls’ Movement harnesses adolescents’ inherent vibrancy, creativity, and energy to equip them fully and enable them to challenge and dismantle restrictive social norms. We equip girls to become agents of change, claim their futures, defend against transgressions and violations, voice their opinions, stand up for their rights, and overcome the structural barriers that hinder their full potential.

Through our innovative peer mentorship model, girls of different ages support and learn from one another:

  • The “Eagles” aged 10-17 form the heart of the movement, ready to soar.
  • “Big Sisters” aged 18-19 guide and uplift the Eagles.
  • “Nurturing Eagles” aged 20-24 mentor the Big Sisters

United in their African roots yet unbound by limits, these young leaders exercise full autonomy over their journeys. Together, they are the renaissance that will transform communities and nations.

Our Thematic areas

The movement champions adolescent girls’ leadership in interrogating the systematic barriers affecting their self-actualisation and wellbeing while learning from women who have broken barriers in different areas of life.

Recognising that millions of girls in Africa are out of school and others may have never set foot in a classroom, the movement advocates for accelerated learning programs to facilitate African adolescent girls access, retention, transition to quality education opportunities and improved education performance.

We are keen on ensuring that adolescent girls access the right age-appropriate information to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and rights and are protected from exposure to and consequences of Gender Based Violence.

We are modelling a generation of girls that are conscious of the adverse effects of climate change and become active participants in climate action and food security activities.

We impart simplified economic skills to adolescent girls to enable them to be innovators and wealth creators for themselves, their families and communities.

Through our innovative peer mentorship model, girls of different ages support and learn from one another:

  • The “Eagles” aged 10-17 form the heart of the movement, ready to soar.
  • “Big Sisters” aged 18-19 guide and uplift the Eagles.
  • “Nurturing Eagles” aged 20-24 mentor the Big Sisters

United in their African roots yet unbound by limits, these young leaders exercise full autonomy over their journeys. Together, they are the renaissance that will transform communities and nations.

We intend to reach 10 million adolescent girls (directly and indirectly) in Sub Saharan Africa by 2030.

Our unique approach

As an organisation that facilitates access to decision-making spaces and amplifies the voices of women who stand up for what is right, we ensure that the voices and views of the girls who are part of the Movement are reflected in the curriculum we take them through. We co-created the curriculum with them to make it possible for their authentic selves to be reflected in the journey they will be taking as part of the Movement.

The curriculum guides key topics that affect and interest them as young women. They are taken through this in the contact sessions they have in their locales, which are run by our trained implementing partners and nurturing eagles. Together, we establish local “nests” that serve as community hubs and safe spaces for the adolescent girls to nurture their agency and driving our movement forward.

At the heart of our approach is a comprehensive, be-spoke, rights-based curriculum tailored specifically for adolescents. Delivered across our network of nests, this curriculum equips girls with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to advocate for themselves and create change.

Our innovative mentorship model fosters an ecosystem of peer support. Younger “Eagles” are guided by “Big Sisters,” who in turn receive mentorship from “Nurturing Eagles”- a symbiotic cycle that nurtures growth and resilience.

The girls have access to a bespoke mobile app, which allows them to access content, learn from each other, and reinforce what they learn from the nests through curriculum-aligned, innovative content.

Our advocacy efforts ensure that adolescent girls’ voices and perspectives contribute to the policies and decisions that impact their lives. As an organisation with access to key decision-making bodies regionally, continentally, and, in some cases, globally, we facilitate access to key forums and decision-making processes at the community, national, regional, and global levels.

Through partnerships, advocacy, capacity building, and mentorship, we are helping a new generation of African girls reshape their communities and author their own destinies.

Our Vision for Change

We believe Africa can only prosper when girls and women are included, heard and seen in key decision-making spaces. Our movement aims to create:

Girls with the confidence, skills, and agency to define their paths and enact positive change in their lives and circumstances.

A generation of girls taking the lead on issues that affect them, their peers, and their communities – shaping policies, practices and societal norms.

Robust peer support systems that enable African girls to uplift each other, share wisdom and create a broader network of support for each other.

Increased flow of resources and support channelled directly into adolescent girls’ rights movements, fuelling their ability to drive sustainable progress.

By realising this vision, we aim to unleash the boundless potential of Africa’s youth and assist them in building a more equitable and thriving future for all.

The Eagles

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Where we work

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South Africa

Katlehong , Soweto

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Zimbabwe

Zvishavane

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Kenya

Kiambu County, Marakwet County, and Narok County

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Ethiopia

Addis Abbaba

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The movement enjoys support from

Allies

Individuals, groups and organisations who are experts/ frontiers in their respective disciplines and sectors, enthusiastic/ interested in adolescent girls’ priorities and wellbeing and, may provide monetary and non-monetary support to the movement.

Advocates

Individuals, entities, and organisations whose areas of interests and/or jurisdiction revolve around adolescent girls’ rights and wellbeing and often sit in key policy and decision-making spaces concerning adolescent girls’ development, survival, protection, participation and investments.

Partner with us

There are two primary ways to work with us:

As a donor partner

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If you are an individual or organisation that is interested in donating to us to help us reach more adolescent girls in Africa.

As a strategic partner

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We welcome partners with subject matter and other technical expertise to ensure we always improve our services to the Movement.

Thank you to our Development and Strategic Partners.
We are grateful to implementing partners who make our work possible

Contact us

  • +27 11 325 0501

  • Investment Place – Block C, 111 10th Road, Hyde Park, 2196, Johannesburg, South Africa

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