Mozambique AN ALLIANCE TO STRENGTHEN CHILD RIGHTS IN MOZAMBIQUE
The signing ceremony of the MoU between the three (3) Child Rights Networks (3CRN), namely Rede da Criança, Rede CAME and ROSC, took in place in February 17th. The 3CRN stressed in this MoU a vision of a Civil Society Organizations (CSO) focused and coordinated for the well-being of children at all levels. They also set their common mission which is CSO working together to strengthen child rights advocacy within the following objectives: (i) reinforce the identification of common advocacy assumptions about child rights, (ii) strengthen CSO representation in the key relevant child rights public forums, platforms and spaces, and (iii) provide a great coordination and interaction of CSO with decision makers at all levels on child rights issues. Amélia Fernanda, from Rede da Criança, Benilde Nhalevilo, from ROSC and Carlos Manjate, from Rede CAME were the three executive directors who signed this MoU. Save the Children, together with ADRA, ChildFund, Diakonia-Sweden, FDC, Right to Play, SOS-CV and TDH Germany are supporting this initiative.
Amélia Fernanda, Executive Director of Rede da Criança, said, in her speech, that the 3CRN will promote child participation as important principle of their work. Benilde Nhalevilo, Executive Director of ROSC, highlighted the following three enabling factors that are determinant in this joint advocacy initiative, namely togetherness, equity, effective coordination. Carlos Manjate, Executive Director of Rede CAME, stressed that the current status quo of the decentralization process in Mozambique enhanced and increased the decision making spaces at all levels to be targeted by the joint child rights advocacy, so this joint initiative is coming at the right time.
Representing Save the Children Country Director, Judas Massingue (interim PDQ Director) stressed that for SCI-Mozambique, the signing of this MoU for the development of joint initiative for child rights advocacy is unique and historic in the CSO movement in Mozambique as they commit themselves of coming together to develop a joint initiative on child rights advocacy. Judas underlined that SCI has high expectations in the effectiveness of this MoU. He added that (i) would like to see the robustness of the rich potential of this joint initiative, leveraging the advocacy of different child rights conducted by these networks, (ii) expect to see joint and public positions of the three signatory networks of this MoU in key and relevant public matters on the rights of the child, to influence decision-makers at different levels and public opinion in general.
