On the 25th of February, in the city of Xai-Xai, the capital of the province of Gaza, Mozambique, an initiation session was held to present the Educators in Motion: An Itinerant Education for Early Childhood project to the Provincial Directorate of Gender, Children and Social Action, and the AIDGLOBAL team.
This meeting took place about a year after AIDGLOBAL’s proposal to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was accepted, having gone through several stages, namely the formation of the working and management group, the establishment of technical support, monitoring and strategy evaluation and planning of activities.
The AIDGLOBAL team, consisted of Rita Lopes (Project Manager), Isabel Fernandes (project technician), as well as Castigo Tchume, assistant and manager of the Organization's delegation in Mozambique. The national partners were: Paulo da Silva Beirão, director of the Provincial Directorate of Gender, Children and Action Social, Jerónimo Nhabete, responsible for the Women and Social Action Area, and Lucas Chiluvane, focal point for the NGOs of the Provincial Directorate of Education and Human Development. The following entities also participated in the project: Naldo Muchanga, technician of SDEJT: District Service of Education, Youth and Technology of Chibuto, and Rodrigues Paulo Matusse, SDSMAS technician: District Health, Women and Social Action of Chibuto.
Considering the integral and harmonious development of the children in Chibuto who are of preschool age, this initiative intends to invest not only in the improvement of their cognitive, socio-emotional and motor processes, but also in their general health and hygienic conditions. It also hopes to promote their inclusion within society and to tackles issues of discrimination.
On February the 27th, 28th, and on March 1st, the AIDGLOBAL team held meetings with Administration representatives from the Chibuto District to give them an introduction to the project, set up procedures, and clarify any doubts. The sessions were carried out in Changana (local language), by the AIDGLOBAL team.
These meetings included more than 50 communities, represented by their community, and neighborhood leaders. In order to select the five communities with conditions to integrate the project, at the end of each meeting, all communities were requested to submit their applications forms by March 8th.
Naldo Muchanga and Frederico Maxaieie, both technicians from the SDEJT: District Service of Education, Youth and Technology of Chibuto, and Rodrigues Paulo Matusse, SDSMAS technician: District Health, Women and Social Service of Chibuto, who are project partners, were also present at these meetings. Journalist Cristina Zimila reported on the meetings for the Chibuto Community Radio.
