Mozambique

DVV International has been working in Mozambique since 2008, and has operated its own country office since 2009.

Mozambique is one of the ten least developed countries in the world. A large proportion of the population lives in extreme poverty. Islamist terrorist attacks in the northern province of Cabo Delgado continue to destabilise the country politically, and the tense economic situation has led to inadequate funding for education.

As in the other countries in the region, adult learning and education (ALE) is the most poorly funded part of the education system in Mozambique. ALE falls under the responsibility of the National Directorate for Literacy and Adult Education (DINAEA) within the Ministry of Education and Human Development (MINEDH). As part of the revision of the national education strategy for the period 2020–2029, MINEDH decided against once again developing a separate strategy for adult learning and education, choosing instead to include it in the general Strategic Plan for Education (Plano Estratégico da Educação). DVV International therefore supported its partners in ensuring that the needs of ALE were effectively taken into account in the development of this comprehensive strategic plan.

DVV International’s work in Mozambique is in line with the strategy pursued across the continent of establishing and strengthening adult learning and education systems that cut across different policy areas and establish structures from the national all the way down to the local level.

Main focus of work

• Policy dialogue and advice: DVV International supports the government in developing a national strategy for resource mobilisation for ALE, which requires cultivating sources of funding, staff and infrastructure from various sectors and local authorities as well as civil society. Based on the evaluation of a pilot project, an online management information system (MIS) is also being implemented at the national level.
• Strengthening ALE institutions: DVV International supports the exchange of expertise and the (self-)organisation of adult learning and education stakeholders to strengthen their negotiating position in national education and development policy discussions. In addition, DVV International promotes organisational development, especially of civil society organisations so that they can continue their work sustainably.
• Integrated, interdisciplinary education programmes: DVV International promotes the development of integrated curricula so that the acquisition of reading, writing and arithmetic skills is combined with gaining knowledge and skills in areas such as the environment/climate change, health and food security. In addition, the country office supports pilot approaches to introducing interdisciplinary ALE at the community level, for example, through community literacy forums where integrated literacy concepts are tested.

Partners

The most important strategic partner is the Ministry of Education and Human Development, which, as a specialised ministry, has the National Directorate of Literacy and Adult Education at its disposal. At the local level, partners include civil society organisations such as the Associação de Preservação da Família em Mocambique (APFM) in Sofala Province, the Associação Comunitária para o Desenvolvimento (ACD) in Maputo Province and the Associação da Mulher – No Poor Among Us (AM – NPAU), a partner specialising in basic education in Gaza Province. These organisations are supported in implementing the integrated ALE programme through training for small business owners, in agriculture and in organisational development.