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Graca Machel. Photo by Fronteiras do Pensamento on

Top 10 Outstanding facts about Graca Machel

Graca Machel is a Mozambican humanitarian, politician, an International advocate of children’s and women’s rights.

In 1997 she was made an honorary Dame Commander of the order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for her humanitarian work for human rights protection.

Machel is an African stateswoman whose long profession and public life are rooted in Mozambique’s struggle for self-rule and former freedom fighters of FRELIMO.

She works through several international and regional bodies to bring social transformation and lends her expertise to several organizations in a governance role.

Here are top 10 facts about Graca Machel.

1. Graca Machel’s brief early life and education

Machel was born 17 days after her father’s death, with six siblings being the youngest. She was born in rural Incadine, Gaza province Portuguese East Africa ( now Mozambique).

Machel attended Methodist Mission School and later received a scholarship to the University of Lisbon in Portugal, where she studied German.

She is fluent in many languages, including Spanish, Italian, French, English, Portuguese and her native Xitsonga language.

2. Graca Machel has been the first lady of two nations

Graca Machel. Image by Fronteiras do Pensamento on

Machel married the first Mozambique president Samora Machel. They had two children, a daughter Josina and a son Malengane.

Samora Machel died while in office in 1986 when his presidential aircraft crashed near the Mozambique South Africa border.

Later she married her second husband, Nelson Mandela, in Johannesburg on July 18, 1998, during Mandela’s 80th birthday.

At the time, Machel was marrying Nelson Mandela was serving as the first post-apartheid president of South Africa. Nelson Mandela died of pneumonia on December 5, 2013.

3. Graca Machel was the first minister of education and culture in Mozambique

When Mozambique gained independence and FRELIMO formed its first government in 1975, Machel became a member of the FRELIMO Central Committee and was appointed Minister of Education and Culture.

She served in the education and culture ministry until 1989. She aimed to implement FRELIMOs goal of providing universal education for all of Mozambique.

Between 1975 and 1985, primary and secondary school students rose from about 40 percent of all school-aged children to over 90 percent for males and 75 percent for females.

Machel is highly regarded for her commitment to educating the people of Mozambique and her devotional leadership in the organization of the children of her war-torn country.

Also, she was a major force in increasing literacy and schooling in Mozambique and always spoke of the needs and rights of children, community and family.

During her time as minister of education, she reduced the illiteracy rate by 72 percent. Following her husband’s death in a plane crash, she resigned from her post as minister of education.

4. Graca Machel was a member of The Elder

The Elder was an international non-governmental organization of public figures noted as senior statesmen, human rights advocates and peace activities brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007.

Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Graca Machel assembled The Elders on July 18, 2007, in Johannesburg, South Africa announced its formation during his speech on his 89th birthday.

The Elders work on thematic as well as geographically specific subjects. Most priority issues include South Sudan and Sudan, the Korean peninsula, sustainable development and equality for girls and women.

Machel is majorly involved in The Elders’ work on child marriage. She contributed to the Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage.

5. Graca Machel worked for the United Nations

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After she retired from the Mozambique ministry, she was appointed by the secretary general of the United Nations as an expert to chair the study on the impact of armed conflict on children.

The study was one of a kind in the history of the United Nations. It demonstrated to the world community the necessity of adopting effective measures for the promotion and protection of the rights of children.

The aim is to protect the rights of children victims of armed conflicts and stimulate much greater international action.

In January 2006, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Machel to the High-Level Advisory Group for Every Woman, Every Child.

6. Graca Machel joined Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO)

While Machel was in Europe, she joined FRELIMO in 1973, an organized resistance movement steadily gaining ground in the struggle against colonialism from the Portuguese.

Machel returned from Europe and went to Tanzania and found an efficient run FRELIMO headquarters operation, a training camp, storage facilities and supply routes.

In a fight for independence from Portuguese rule, FRELIMO set up schools in liberated territories and their training camps in Tanzania.

Machel was involved in the fight for independence and was appointed Deputy Director of the FRELIMO Secondary School at Bagamoyo, Tanzanian, in 1974.

When Mozambique became independent and FRELIMO formed, the country’s first governed in 1973. She was appointed member of the FRELIMO central committee and the minister of education and culture.

7. She founded Association for Community Development

In 1990 Machel formed Association for Community Development, an indigenous non-governmental organization. The organization became the foundation for community development and Mozambique’s first endowed grant-making grant-making foundation in 1994.

She is also the president of this social and economic development of the country that fund and operates programs in nine out of ten provinces of Mozambique.

8. Graca Machel was chairperson of the National Organization of Children of Mozambique

The organization places orphans in village homes while bracing the role of community and family in the healing process. She worked jointly with families in her effort to rehabilitate children and empower Mozambican women.

As the chairperson of the Nation Organization of Children of Mozambique and president of the country’s UNESCO Commission, she was requested to chair a study to assist young victims of the Mozambique civil war published by the United Nations on November 11, 1996.

She recommended rehabilitation and called on UNICEF to begin resettling all displaced children and start funds specifically for the children’s re-education.

9. Graca Machel served as a chancellor

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Machel served as chancellor of the University of Cape Town from 1999 to 2019. In 2012 she was named president of the school of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

She was also named chancellor of the African leadership University a role she still holds up to date.

10. Graca Machel has amassed many awards and accolades

Machel is known for the humanitarian work to help women and children. This has made her receive many awards as well as accolades.

In 1995 she received Nansen Medal from United Nations in recognition of her long-standing humanitarian work, particularly on behalf of refugee children,

Other awards include the World’s Children Prize in 2005 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe in 1998, amongst many others.

She also received honorary doctorates from various institutions; Doctora Honoris Causa by the University of Barcelona in 2008, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Massachusetts in 2006, amongst many others.