Chamanculo Human Rights and the Health of Women Project
The Chamanculo Project is located in a suburb of Maputo, the country's capital. Its project office is located in the LWF Mozambique's head office in Maputo. The target population in Chamanculo (20,045) consisting of 4,698 households distributed in 40 blocks may be described generally as vulnerable. There was a great influx of internally displaced people in the Bairro (suburb) during the civil war when rural people began seeking refuge in protected urban areas. Many of the displaced people have since returned to their home villages following the end of the war, but those who remain still face a lack of access to reasonable social services. They are vulnerable to various forms of human discrimination, violence, and abuse, and they live under very poor living conditions.
The goal of the project is to contribute to the improvement of the social and economic conditions of people of Chamanculo, through promotion of Human Rights and healthy lifestyles, and through the empowerment of women.
The Human Rights and Health for Women component of the project began in 2001, with the objective of improving the health and socio-economic conditions of target households, with a specific focus on women. The project addresses Human Rights which is a basic need and an important building block for any sustainable development particularly for a population such as this one, which is characterized by domestic violence and other related injustices, which disproportionately affect women. This is also crucial in addressing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Apart from stimulating Human Rights awareness, the project is developing initiatives that promote the status of women so they can play a more active role in their own sustainable development.
Chamanculo has become an important testing ground for LWF Mozambique and a melting pot for new ideas. Succesful initiatives in this project, particularly regarding Human Rights (with a special focus on the rights of women and the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS), Home-Based Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS and Domestic Violence, have been adopted by the Integrated Development Projects.
The project focus is on educating people to respect each others rights so as to create an enabling environment for them to access the benefits of development. Expected benefits include a reduction of domestic violence, respect for families including the education of children, improved access to social services creation of opportunities for employment. Capacity development for sustainable development is a running theme throughout the implementation of this plan. The project implementation strategy puts a lot of stress on partnership, networking and advocacy. The project will continue with home visits and care for patients with HIV/AIDS and chronic diseases.
