Honorary doctorate for Graça Machel: fund for female students from South Africa
On the occasion of the conferral of an honorary doctorate to children’s rights activist Graça Machel, a fund has been established that will enable two female students from South Africa to come and study in Leiden.
Dean of Leiden Law School Joanne van der Leun made the announcement during the 446th Dies Natalis of Leiden University, following the conferral of the honorary doctorate to Machel.
Machel was nominated for the honorary doctorate by professors of children’s rights Ton Liefaard and Julia Sloth-Nielsen. Machel has dedicated the greater part of her life to children’s rights, fighting against child marriages and the use of children in armed conflict. She is currently the Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
'Graça Machel’s role as a leading advocate for peace, human rights and children’s rights has been of fundamental importance to improving the long-term prospects of women and children, said Liefaard just before the honorary doctorate was conferred. 'Leiden Law School is convinced that Ms Machel will continue to serve as a beacon to many of our students and researchers here in Leiden and The Hague because for many of them she is a role model, an icon, not just in Africa but all around the world.'
