MOZAMBIQUE
| - | Background to the Project |
| - | Aims of the Project |
| - | Project Outcomes |
About União Geral dos Camponeses
UGC was formed by seven agricultural cooperatives of Maputo in 1980. With a membership of 250 small scale farmers it was to act as a service cooperative and support structure. It aimed at representing the agricultural cooperative at both national and international levels, providing services to its members in areas such as training, extension work, procurement and fundraising. The movement comprised almost entirely of unemployed women with low levels of schooling and technical training. It initially sought to provide its members with support to acquire food items at wholesale prices and an additional income to the household through the sales of their agricultural products. After the training courses under UGC, the members improved their technical capacity, level of organization, management skills and reversed their situation. The women became in many cases main figures of their families. By the end of the 80s the main production activities shifted from agriculture to aviculture (poultry raising) and a credit scheme was developed.
UGC has developed work with communities to become a strong component of its activities: ‘The UGC Development Support’. In this way UGC supports poor and rural families to develop life skills such as: computer skill, carpentry. It also provides some financial support and has an arrangement with a university in Mozambique to promote women’s higher education. UGC also has projects aimed at supporting families living with HIV/AIDS as well as to house and provide education to street children.
About the Project
This project, implemented by União Geral dos Camponeses (UGC) aimed to mobilise and engage government representatives and businesses in Mozambique. It complemented existing advocacy efforts on malaria carried out in particular by the Mozambique Coalition Against Malaria, calling for an increase in community access through the involvement of government sectors related to development, enterprises and businesses in the fight against malaria.
