Overview
Concern's work in Mozambique
Positive intervention
Concern is almost unique among the international organisations in Mozambique in focussing on working with the poorest people in the most isolated and deprived areas in Mozambique.
While many other organisations work with the government of Mozambique at the national or even provincial level, Concern has carved out a niche, with the government and communities at the grassroots level.
Education
Concern has primary education schemes, running in Nampula, Zambezia and Manica provinces. We chose these districts because they are among the most deprived and have high and increasing HIV&AIDS levels.
These programmes are designed and implemented in conjunction with the government and local NGO partners.
Active community participation in the running of the schools is central to our strategy. As a result, more than 45 school councils were formed in 2005, which in turn benefited about 30,000 children. Twelve schools and four resource centres were also built in 2005.
While significant amounts of funds flows into Mozambique from, much of it does not filter down to where its most needed……helping the most deprived and destitute.
This is not because the money disappears along the way, but is as a result of the weak institutional capacity of government structures.
Concern helps by providing training and information to the government officials at district level in the areas of and district planning and management.
Snapshots of work in progress
In Manica province, north of the capital Maputo, new partnerships were established and new activities were introduced. A poor harvest meant that there was insufficient seed stock; a commercial seed distribution system was activated.
In Zambezia province Concern is working with traditional healers, local farming groups and volunteers visiting homes spreading the message of positive living, which includes spreading the gospel of safe sex, the dangers of casual sex, and generally supporting people living with HIV&AIDS and related illnesses.
In Nampula, a city in the north of the country Concern has set up new committees in villages, which help people participate in the planning and monitoring of district development. Concern is also helping the provincial government to train district administrations.
Concern further seeks to empower and support communities to in efforts to engage government, the private sector and fellow community members, so that together potential conflicts and hurdles can be amicably resolved to the satisfaction and benefit of all concerned.
In 2003, a community asked the government to build a Health Centre. Two years later nothing had happened. In 2005 the government decided that a police station was to be built instead. The community, through their local committee, lobbied the authorities to press home their need for a health centre. The government backed down and the construction of a health centre was approved.
In another district, Concern trained a community in the basics of land law, and using their recently acquired knowledge, they managed to negotiate with a private enterprise producing tobacco on the community’s land to use a percentage of the profits to build a school for the local children.
A community group took the initiative and mobilized the entire community to provide social and material support for orphans and vulnerable children whose parents had either died of Aids related illnesses or were chronically ill.
In one district there is a lot of construction and many workers on the sites attract young girls because of the cash they earn. The community group has implemented programmes to stress the dangers of casual sexual awareness ties among the construction workers and the young girls.
