Graça Machel

Graça Machel, 79, is both a true moral authority and a woman with a remarkable destiny. She has been First Lady of two countries. First in Mozambique, where she was married to President Samora Machel. Widowed in 1986, she became close to Nelson Mandela, who was still in prison, before marrying the hero of the struggle against apartheid on her 80th birthday. A law graduate who speaks six languages, the former First Lady of South Africa has always been a human rights activist, championing the rights of women and children in particular. In 2010, she founded the Graça Machel Trust, a foundation focused on children's health and nutrition, education and women's financial empowerment. She is a member of the Global Elders, a non-governmental organisation of former leaders brought together in 2007 by Nelson Mandela to help solve the world's most pressing problems. A far-reaching programme.