One of the people who helps me understand the impact of the economic crisis on women is Graca Machel, the passionate advocate for women and children and a former Minister of Education and Culture in Mozambique. She knows what it’s like for African households to go hungry; she understands the struggle of African women to feed and clothe their children; she feels the ripple-on effect of a man losing his job. In many African families, loss of income means there is no money for school fees and uniforms, no way for the children to get ahead. I heard Graca speak to the UN Population Fund at a meeting in Johannesburg earlier this year; she really put it in perspective for me.
About
Neil Ford has 30 years of professional experience roughly divided into three parts: i) award-winning Broadcast Journalist in Canada – specializing in cultural identity and economic development; ii) Grass-roots Activist in the developing world – designing communication strategies to give marginalized people a voice in their own development ; and iii) Communication Specialist in the UN system – delivering rights-based strategies to help achieve the MDGs. He specializes in communication initiatives that contribute to HIV prevention, emphasize gender equality, and enable young people to claim rights and participate effectively in development programmes. Married with two kids, he has settled in New York after working in more than 30 developing countries.
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Mozambique » All over Africa
Sunday 26th July, 2009, 12:13pm
[...] Conversations for a Better World – Graça Machel on Africa & the …One of the people who helps me understand the impact of the economic crisis on women is Graca Machel, the passionate advocate for women and children and a former Minister of Education and Culture in Mozambique. … [...]