Country - Mozambique

Country Overview

Forum Mulher

Forum Mulher (FM)

Forum Mulher (Women's Forum) is a Women's Network Forum that works for the rights of Mozambican women. Forum Mulher deals with gender and development issues, advocacy and lobby, as well as education and information work. Forum Mulher has its main office in Maputo.

Forum Mulher is an important organization within civil society in Mozambique as regards women and gender issues. Through intensive advocacy and lobby work Forum Mulher has achieved major influence on the country's new family law, securing the legal position and recognition of women.

Some of its specific areas of work are: to strengthen the network of trainers and consultants at the provincial level; to develop policies that include the principles of gender equality and equity; to improve knowledge of the rights of women and of the laws defending these rights by disseminating international protocols and national laws; to improve access to justice, especially for victims of gender-based violence, by improving access to legal services, counselling and by advocacy on legal instruments; to improve information on the work of the Forum Mulher and on women's related issues through the website, internet, newsletter, radio and television.

Forum Mulher (Women's Forum) also focuses on strengthening the institutional capacity of its members, the capacity of provincial women's and gender networks and organisations in four provinces, to support them in working in a co-ordinated manner and advocate for equality of women's rights.

Contributions to IANRA

Poor use of natural resources often go hand in hand with violation of women's rights. Forum Mulher's involvement in IANRA offers an opportunity to bring their broad network and many skills to IANRA's efforts. Forum Mulher in turn benefits from increased expertise and collaborations with other groups on the relations between natural resource use and the position of women in Mozambique.

ActionAid Mozambique

ActionAid International Mozambique (AAMoz)

General Information

ActionAid Mozambique is part of an international organisation, ActionAid International (AAI), which is working in 50 countries in Africa, Asia, the U.S., Europe and South America. Its vision and mission are similar to AAI's mission and vision: "a world without poverty and injustice in which every person enjoys their right to a life with dignity", whereas its mission is "to work with the poor and excluded people to eradicate poverty and injustice".

Based in Maputo, ActionAid Mozambique began its work in 1987, initially providing emergency relief to people displaced by the war. It now works with communities in southern Mozambique to improve food security and access to basic services and enable people there to take charge of their future. Food security and livelihoods development are important themes for the organisation that link particularly closely to IANRA's central theme of natural resource use. It is also involved in community development projects as well as education and health issues, including HIV/AIDS.

Contributions to IANRA

ActionAid Mozambique provides IANRA with strong contacts and relationships at the community level in Mozambique. It is also expanding its attention to the use of natural resources as part of AAI's renewed commitment to this field and therefore will benefit greatly from the training and other activities pursued by IANRA and its members.

Website

www.actionaid.org

MuGeDe

General Information

Women, Gender and Development (MuGeDe) is a non-profit association officially established and recognized as a legal person in 2004. MuGeDe's focal area is environment and rural development from a gender perspective. MuGeDe is actively dedicated to civic education in matters directly and indirectly related to the environment as well as to the promotion of social values which include the gender perspective. Its work is based on the values of justice, equality, tolerance and solidarity.

MUGEDE is conscious that the mission in which it is involved needs a multi-sectoral approach and can not be carried out as an isolated organization. It therefore established working relationships with communities, the government and non governmental institutions.

Contributions to IANRA

MuGDe contributes to IANRA's mission in the sense that it is working with communities on civic and environmental education, it works with a union composed of 32 associations, is linked to different other networks (Food Sovereignty, Environmental one, G20, Forum Women, etc), experienced in conducting civic education and how to work closely with communities.

"Natural resources are our life, so we need to be aware of how these precious resources are managed and also need to help the communities to better understand what is surrounding them, how to benefit and how to protect them". "IANRA can promote a sense of ownership, bring values to the communities and in the long term can change the living conditions of our communities" (Acting Director MuGeDe, 2009).