The country's late independence, 15 years of brutal civil war, the large distances, the absence of any real tradition for public influence and the remains of a centrally socialist planned economy and an authoritarian colonial culture - these are just some of the reasons why Mozambique is seen to have a weak civil society even by African standards.
A new foundation worth USD 13 million is intended to go some way towards changing this. Over the next five years, the funds in CSSM (Civil Society Support Mechanism) will help to strengthen organisations which seek, in one way or another, to foster democratic governance in Mozambique.
AustralCOWI administers the scheme which is funded by the British Department for International Development (DIFID) and Irish Aid.
"The aim is to give citizens a say in their own lives and futures. The poorest in Mozambique have no voice at present, and the project therefore focuses on organisations at the grassroots level," explains João Pereira, project manager at AustralCOWI.
"They can apply for funding for activities designed to monitor or encourage good governance, and for capacity building within their own organisation. Mozambique organisations face the same management problems as the public authorities. If they are to act as the guardians of democracy, they will have to learn to monitor their own programmes first."
CSSM also supports research, the establishment of networks and training that can enable the organisations to enter into a dialogue with those in power.
"A great deal has been built up in Mozambique over the past ten years, but without good political institutions, it will all fall apart again. The opposition is weak, so we need strong civil society organisations that can challenge politicians and put pressure on them, and make the authorities accountable to the public. Otherwise, democracy will be something that is imposed from without, and then we'll be forever dependent on support from donors," says João Pereira.
Many of Mozambique's small grassroots organisations are fighting a constant battle to make ends meet, but the primary aim of the fund is not to support their day-to-day operation.
"Ninety per cent of the civil society organisations are fighting for their survival, but funding is rarely available from donors for operational purposes. This fund is no exception, but when an organisation has a real raison d'être, individuals are often willing to contribute financially - a phenomenon we witness in the churches.
"Once people see that these organisations are important for protecting their rights, they are happy to support them. We can help them become stronger and more assertive," says João Pereira.
By: Janne Toft Jensen, jaje@cowi.dk Published: 29.10.2007
Mozambique is situated on the east cost of southern Africa. The country covers an area of just under 800,000 km2 (Denmark: 43,000 km2) and has 20 million inhabitants. Portuguese is the official language, but another 16 languages are also spoken here. The enormous country is a former Portuguese colony, which only gained its independence in 1975. It is one of the poorest nations in the world, but over the past 15 years it has experienced strong economic growth and political stability.
Source: Mozambique's National Statistics Institute (INE)