Nine thousand women and girls from the districts of Marracuene and Manhiça are benefiting from a project called 'Empowerment of Women and Girls,' an initiative by the Commonwealth Of Learning (COL) with funding from Global Affairs Canada. This project is being implemented in five countries, including Bangladesh, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In Mozambique, the project is being implemented by the People to People Development Aid Association (Association Aid for Development from People to People-ADPP).
According to Frances Ferreira, a representative of COL, this is a project aimed at promoting gender equality through the training of women and girls in skills for sustainable livelihoods that will contribute to gender equality and poverty reduction.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Human Development, Silvestre Dava stated that this project aims to balance social relationships between men and women. He also considered it to be an initiative with ambitious goals, but the implementer, ADPP, has demonstrated experience in the implementation of such projects.
We believe that, despite it appearing to be an ambitious project, it is possible to implement. Time may be short, but we already know the institution that will execute it; we are talking about ADPP, an organization whose incredible strength in helping the Mozambican population we have witnessed," stated Silvestre Dava from MINEDH (Ministry of Education and Human Development).
The Executive Director of ADPP, Birgit Holm, stated that women often face disadvantages due to their gender, age, income, disability, education, among other factors. This project has come to change this situation.
"Women and girls are not helpless victims, they are sources of power for resilience and transformation. We have experiences of women who rise against all odds, leading their homes and inspiring nations," said Birgit Holm, emphasizing that ADPP's journey with COL to empower women and girls began seven years ago with the implementation of the 'Girls Inspire' project in Nacala-Porto, Nampula province.
By ADPP Moçambique
