Mozambique

Our plan in Mozambique

Plan is working at the grassroots level in Mozambique to empower communities to bring real and lasting change, so that children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Plan began working in Mozambique in 2006 and currently has programs in Jangamo district in the southern region of Inhambane province which aim to address the following issues affecting children:

• Poor access to quality education
• Very low awareness of child rights and child protection issues
• High infant, child and maternal mortality rates due to inadequate access to quality healthcare services
• Poor access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation
• Increasing child HIV infection rate
• High risk area for natural disasters affecting access to food, nutrition, shelter, sanitation and health facilities

Plan’s programs and strategies to address these issues include:

Health

Plan Mozambique works with health authorities to improve access to healthcare services and assists training of health volunteers.  Plan also facilitates water and sanitation facilities and encourages community-management of health, water and hygiene practices.

Education

Plan Mozambique works to improve access to and quality of basic and early secondary education by improving learning conditions through school construction, teacher training, provision of school materials, improving curriculum, and enhancing the participation of school councils and children.

Child rights and protection

Plan Mozambique advocates for child rights against violence in schools, abuse against girl children, and promotes the rights of vulnerable children, including the improvement of dormitory facilities and security for children living away from their parents.  Plan’s programs work to increase awareness of these issues through children’s clubs, community committees, program partners, and provincial and district government organisations.

HIV and AIDS

To build and strengthen communities’ capacity to respond to HIV and AIDS and emergencies, Plan Mozambique promotes HIV and AIDS education, healthcare staff training and support for home-based care of those with HIV and AIDS.  Plan also promotes youth peer group support for HIV and AIDS prevention education and encourages community-management of awareness programs.

Country Facts

Country	Mozambique	Australia
Flag
Population	19,686,505 (July 2006 est.)	19.9 Million
Language	Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8%	English
Capital	Maputo	Canberra
GDP per capita (USD/year)	$1,300 (2005 est.)	$29,000
Life expectancy	39.82	80.3
Access to safe drinking water	43	100%
Literacy	47.8%	100%
Source:	United Nations: Millennium Development Goals Report 2006