Graça Machel, Wife of Nelson Mandela and Spokesperson for The Elders, Talks About Ending HIV Infections

Graça Machel speaks at press conference about ending Pediatric HIV/AIDS.

Photo: Stephane de Sakutin, AFP/Getty Images

Graça Machel urged African leaders to commit to ending HIV infections among children and women, in the world’s worst affected continent. Speaking at the launch of the Campaign to End Pediatric HIV/AIDS, Graça Machel highlighted how little budget is assigned by African countries to health issues. She pointed out that Africa cannot only rely on international commitment to the eradication of HIV/AIDS - the pandemic has to be addressed just as conscientiously by African leaders.

"You tell me next time we meet how much is being spent in wars and defence...but how much is being spent in health, how much is being spent in agriculture to produce food for our kids," Machel told delegates.

"We will not get there when African leaders do not get moved, they do not get moved by the hundreds of thousands of people who are dying on this continent when we know that this can be prevented," she said.

She said she would lobby for African governments to meet pledges made in 2001 to devote at least 15 percent of national budgets to health.

46664 Campaign Empowers Communities in Mozambique

The Foundation for Community Development (FDC) is a civic organization started by Graça Machel, the former Mozambican First Lady and the wife of Nelson Mandela. The FDC, with help from 46664 and other funders, is empowering communities to uplift themselves and their children through a skills development program called Tecendo a Vida (“Weaving Life”). The FDC is trying to move away from the traditional aid models that provide developing countries with resources but seldom encourage sustainability.

FDC runs sustainable social programs in Mozambique and aims to empower people by strengthening community structures and decision making processes and giving communities ownership of their future. The FDC provides very little direct funding to communities, but does provide constant support from the project implementation agency, Mbatilamukene.

Field workers help solve a variety of development problems, from creating hygienic sewerage systems to encouraging people to diversify their diets by growing their own fruit and vegetables. People learn to rely on themselves providing a platform for sustainable solutions. With this philosophy in mind, the FDC is helping to tackle the issue of HIV/AIDS by encouraging communities to tackle the underlying social problems which will help to reduce HIV infection rates.

The 46664 Bangle project contributes funds to support the 46664 Campaigns of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.