Graça Machel, Children’s Rights Activist

I wish to thank the Nelson Mandela Institute for a journey at this time – for a bold undertaking to find new solutions to old challenges of rural development and education. Education is undoubtedly the key to unlocking young people’s potential. In South Africa, and indeed across the African continent, more and more of our children are in schools – so we have made gains on that front. But that is only one half of the equation.

There are other areas we need to address, where we are confronted by real challenges. In the past, agriculture was the most important rural economic activity, producing vital food supplies and being the largest employer. Conventional approaches to rural development have tended to focus on improving agriculture, but we know that despite its strength agricultural production alone has not and will not be able to absorb all rural labour.

On the other hand development in urban areas is centred on creating new industries and with them come more jobs and opportunities. In urban areas development takes the form of roads, hospitals, communication and new media such as mobile and internet technology.
This two-tier society we live in also shows itself in the quality of education children in rural communities receive. For example, many rural schools lack proper facilities and equipment and few can access information through libraries and the internet.

Water, clinics and electricity are important for rural areas, but if villages are to develop into vibrant communities then rural development has to be much more than that. It has to give them safe education, and create an environment conducive to economic activity. Our communities cannot retain educated people without an attractive economic environment.

The challenge facing rural areas is shared across the continent. It is not a South African problem alone.
As part of its remit the NMI will take a multi-disciplinary approach. This Institute will be listening to the voices of the children. Young people are creative, vibrant and authentic. It will carry out research toward developing innovative solutions to the problems facing rural development and education, approaches that are meaningful and relevant to young people, their communities and their country.

This Institute is built on a solid foundation of partnerships between the University of Fort Hare, the government and the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Through its work the Institute will also forge strong relationships with local communities, educators and learners. It is also critical that the Institute reaches out to include business as a partner. The diversity of the partnership is its strength and together it will be a potent force in challenging the tide of poverty and tackling under-development and inter-generational poverty.

Graça Machel
Extract from speech at the occasion of the launch of the Nelson Mandela Institute, August 2007