This study focuses on two districts of Zambezia Province, Mocuba and Morrumbala, situated in the north of the country. This was a frontline state during the war and is now one of the poorest, least developed provinces. The Province is the target of the 'Strategic Programme of Population Development', which includes components on 'Development of Gender Capacity and Reproductive Health Of Youth and Adolescence'. The Province also has a programme on education of female children.

Objectives

• to understand the household, community and institutional factors which differentially affect the health of poor women, men and children in rural Mozambique
• to create a community-based strategy for improving gender equity in health in these two pilot districts of Zambezia Province, by working with community and institutional stakeholders
• to agree, devise and carry out practical interventions concerned with gender equity; monitoring and evaluating the impact of those interventions
• to draw lessons for rolling out the strategy to other districts and provinces.

A key area of work is how power relations, resources and opportunities are distributed within families and how they affect access to health services and outcomes. The study is operating within the existing national policy and strategic frameworks for health and for gender mainstreaming. The relevant frameworks are: gender and sector wide approach (SWAPs) in the health sector; and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS national strategies. Mainstreaming work is already underway in a number of ministries and provinces, with institutional support from several agencies, and the case study seeks to build on that work, rather than set up its own structures and targets. Interventions aim to develop practical models for increasing community involvement in the context of national objectives for the health sector.

Leading Team Members
Dr Francelina Pinto Romao, Gender Adviser to the Ministry of Health (MISAU)
Mrs Alcinda Abreu, Gender Adviser to the Prime Minister of Mozambique, Director of GEDLIDE
Dr Angelica Solamao, Chairperson, GEDLIDE

Inclusion of Mozambique in this project hs been generously facilitated by the Prime Minister, His Excellency the Hon Dr Pascoal Mocumbi, who is a member of the GHEN International Steering Group.

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