Empowering Women & Girls in Mozambique and Malawi

COL’s Empowering Women and Girls project, supported by Global Affairs Canada, was launched in both Malawi and Mozambique. Ms Zoe Boutilier, Education Team Lead at the Canadian High Commission in Maputo, along with Ms Birgit Holm, CEO of Aid for the Development of People for People (ADPP) spoke at the event in Machava, Mozambique.

At ADPP headquarters, over 60 stakeholders attended, including representatives from the country’s ministries of education, health and gender, leaders from communities where the project will be implemented, and representatives from the private sector and microcredit organisations. The project aims to assist 9,000 women and girls. Ms Frances Ferreira, COL’s Senior Adviser: Empowering Women and Girls, said the project’s approach is guided by the principle of inclusion to ensure groups with a higher likelihood of poverty – women, girls and persons with disabilities – are empowered to voice their concerns.

Ms Noria Nchingula, Director of Open, Distance and eLearning at the Ministry of Education, launched the project in Blantyre, Malawi. In attendance were project partners Concerned Youth Organisation and Centre for Research and Development Initiative, as well as city and district council officials, civil society organisations, women’s and girl’s rights organisations and local media.

Speaking on behalf of the city, Mr Lytton Stan Nkata, Director of Administrative Services, commended COL for launching the project.