Things are moving in the right direction

In Mozambique, women are changing their role in society with the help of MS and partner organizations. Photo: Per Bergholdt Jensen.

THE NUMBER of poor people in Mozambique is decreasing, but it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Average life expectancy is 47 years according to the National Statistics Institute of Mozambique, but the UN assesses it to be down to 38 years.

Politically, one may characterize Mozambique as a stable country. Free elections have been held since 1994, and the country has an opposition that includes many small parties. However, there have been many complaints about election fraud.

Education and sustainability

MS, the Danish Association for International Co-operation, in Mozambique (MS Mozambique) predominantly carries out its work in the northern provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado, two of the poorest provinces in the country. The goal is to reduce poverty and to prepare civil society for the task of participating in development.

Two themes are central to reach this goal: Education, so that local communities may be empowered, and innovative and sustainable use of resources. Furthermore, MS-Mozambique focuses on the three crosscutting issues of hiv/aids, gender and advocacy/lobbying.

Local communities are empowered through education. Photo: Per Bergholdt Jensen.

Women are changing their role

ORERA, an association of small-scale farmers, is an MS partner that works in one of the rural districts in the Nampula province. ORERA has some 1200 members, the majority of whom are men. However, it is the women that do the bulk of the work in the fields.

At the end of a seminar on gender and hiv/aids, some women returned home with a newfound belief in their role in both the organization and the local community. They formed groups that focused on the connection between crops and nutrition and on the importance of information on hygiene, nutrition, sanitary measures, water, and hiv.

According to the women, this has resulted in an improvement of their status in the local community. They are being listened to more, both in the organization and at home. It is ORERA’s stated objective to get more women into the governing, political bodies.

Lobbying resulted in better legislation

Forum Mulher is another MS partner. It is a network organization for women in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, which has advocated women’s rights in particular.

In connection with a new family law, Forum Mulher has lobbied extensively. The organization’s lobbying apparatus dealt with the law itself, the people behind the revision of the old law from colonial times, and the politicians in parliament. The organization has thus contributed to an improvement of women’s position under the new law.