Josina Machel is also a motivational speaker on a number of issues aligned to the work of Kuhluka, including the following subjects:
Josina Machel is a powerful advocate for women’s rights and gender justice. Holding an MSc in Sociology (Gender) from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Cape Town, she combines academic insight with lived experience to lead transformative initiatives.
After surviving a brutal domestic violence attack that left her blind in one eye, Josina turned her pain into purpose by founding the Kuhluka Movement, a non-profit that empowers women survivors of gender-based violence through support, advocacy, and community rebuilding. She also founded Protect Her Life, an innovative insurance company offering emergency and safety solutions for women at risk, underwritten by Liberty Life’s Capital Alliance.
Her leadership extends to global advocacy as Mozambique’s representative for the Spotlight Initiative, a joint EU–UN program focused on eliminating violence against women and girls. Recognized among the Mama Albertina Sisulu 100 Women of Fortitude, Josina continues to inspire courage, resilience, and systemic change.
Josina Machel holds an MSc degree in Sociology (Gender) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Social Science, Sociology and Political Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Following a horrific domestic violence attack that left her blind in one eye, Ms. Machel founded the Kuhluka Movement, a non-profit initiative that empowers women survivors of Gender – based violence, to which she dedicates her life.
She is also the founder and director of Protect Her Life, an insurance company that seeks to support th e safety of women who are subjected to unprecedented levels of gender-based violence.
The company provides easily accessible tools to use in the event of abuse or an emergency, by providing comprehensive insurance and emergency assistance packages specially designed for women. The cover is underwritten by Capital Alliance, a division of the Liberty Life group.
Josina Machel was recently elected to be the representative of Survivors of Violence, Mozambique, in the National Reference Group – Civil Society for the new global Spotlight Initiative, a new multi-year initiative by the EU and the UN which seeks to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and to bring focused attention to this issue, moving it into the spotlight and placing it at the Centre of efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Josina Machel was nominated as the inaugural member of the Mama Albertina Sisulu 100 Women of Fortitude.
A group of 100 inspirational women who lead the campaign to encourage and revitalize the current generation of South Africans to continue MaSisulu’s legacy of activism to better our nation.
This campaign will use the stories of the past and present heroines to inspire other women to take charge of their own development.
The UNFPA has appointed Josina Machel as a Celebrity Spokesperson for the SADC region. At the same time, she is one of the GBV Main Ambassador’s for the Ministry of Higher Education in SA.
In 2018, Josina Machel co-founded with other professionals, of the SOZO network, which has as primary purpose the providing a “Safe Haven” for woman within the professional arena who are faced with the trauma of domestic and emotional abuse.
She has extensive experience in advocacy, political advisory and management of projects on gender-based violence, Human development and Gender equality in the private and public sectors in SADC and international level.
Josina Machel career started in 2001, when she joined Anglo-American, as its Human Resources Officer, where she was extensively involved in providing policy and strategic insight on issues such asHIV, Wellness and employment equity.
Josina Machel later joined the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), where she was involved in working towards enhancing governance and AIDS programmes, by providing research and analyses around those two specific issues. During this time, she led the programme to address the role of political actors in the AIDS pandemic space.
In 2007, Ms. Machel started a consulting and training company Pfukani (Ltd) – the first company in Mozambique to design, coordinate and manage wellness and communication tools for HIV/Aids. Kuhluka Movement
The Kuhluka Movement which Ms. Machel founded in 2016 on the principles of advocacy and mitigation, bridges the gap between giving a voice to women survivors, whilst providing them with a safe haven in their time of need.
The movement focuses on preventative measures to stop gender-based violence by bringing custodians of culture together to interrogate practices and traditions that perpetrate gender-based violence, and spark conversations for traditional leaders, men across communities to being to questions the behaviors that foster an environment that tolerates violence towards women.
Kuhluka Movement aims to provide shelters and a safe haven for women transitioning from abusive relationships to healing and living independent of abusive partners.
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Despite enormous advances in human evolution, our reality demonstrates that emotionally – humankind remains as primate and stuck in primordial ways of dealing with its emotional self, and that only through deep personal and social transformation will it transcend into a more humane way of living. Activist and Founder Kuhluka Movement Ms. Josina Z. Machel holds an MSc degree in Sociology (Gender) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Social Science, Sociology and Political Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
She has extensive experience in advocacy, political advisory and management of projects on gender-based violence, Human Development and Gender Equality in the private and non-profit sectors in the regional, Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and international level.Following a horrific domestic violence attack Ms. Machel founded the Kuhluka Movement, a non-profit initiative that bridges the gap between giving a voice to women survivors, whilst providing them with safe haven in their time of need.
She is a member of the UN & EU Civil Society National Reference Group for the Spotlight Initiative (Mozambique); a UNFPA celebrity Spokesperson and serves on a number of International Boards This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
02:05 – Personal story: surviving domestic violence and its aftermath
05:10 – Why gender-based violence is a human, not a women’s, issue
07:40 – The societal and cultural roots of male violence
10:00 – Founding the Kuhluka Movement and creating safe spaces
12:25 – Engaging men and redefining masculinity as part of the solution
15:10 – Call to action: moral courage and collective responsibility
She speaks on gender-based violence, women’s empowerment, social justice, and survivor-led advocacy.
Yes. Her keynotes are customized to align with the organization’s values, culture, and impact goals.
Her advocacy aligns directly with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5 — achieving gender equality and eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls.
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