INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY, KENYA

Situational analysis
A glance on existing Early Childhood
Development services in Funhalouro and
Homone districts - Mozambique
Pedro Maunde
December 2014

[This paper describer the existing early childhood development services in

Funhalouro and Homone districts of Inhambane province, where CARE Mozambique
ant its implementing partners are serving through home based ECD approach. In
both districts exist different ECD services which are still working separately, some of
these not covering the really vulnerable group composed by children affected or at
risk to be infected by HIV/AIDS due their structural and complex problems which
would be easily addressed if each sector was deliberately integrated to others]

1. Introduction
Funhalouro and Homone are both rural districts located in southern region of
Mozambique, in Inhambane province. At the national level Inhambane is among the
top three provinces with the highest maternal mortality rate and the lowest
indicators on infant feeding. Due to the harsh living conditions (desertification and
more frequent droughts and floods) and limited local livelihood opportunities, men
tend to migrate for work and other economic opportunities to neighboring South
Africa and Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique. As a result, Inhambane can also
be counted among the provinces with the highest number of female headed
households (FFH) in Mozambique (48,7% versus 31% nationally). One third of the
FHH are headed by widows, which is of particular concern since they are among the
poorest and most marginalized family units in Mozambique. In Homoine district 55%
of households are headed by women of whom 26% are over 60 years. In
Funhalouro, slightly less than half of households (46%) are headed by women of
whom 23% are above the age of 60 years. Due to the economic migration to South
Africa and Maputo, Inhambane Province has the lowest rate of children living with
their two biological parents in the entire country (only 41,6% versus 59,9% national
average in rural areas). While this situation could generate a substantial number of
remittances for remaining family members, reality is that women end up managing
their households alone without the regular support of a male partner. Such
separated couples are at high risk of HIV. Men tend to have multiple sex partners
while away and women often end up engaging in transactional sex for survival,
leading to increased risks of vertical transmission for children.
With 107,735 inhabitants Homoine district has the fifth highest population density
compared to other districts in Inhambane. According to Government population
projections for 2012, about 18,218 children below the age of 5 live in Homoine.
Funhalouro has by far the lowest population density in the province with 37,856
inhabitants of whom 17.8% or 6,965 are children under 5 years age. With a
consumption poverty rate above 69%, Funhalouro belongs to the most vulnerable
and impoverished areas of Inhambane. Funhalouro is particularly prone to food
insecurity and has a high risk of drought. Due to the remoteness and low population
density of the area, very few development interventions are currently carried out.
Consumption poverty rates in Homoine are around 51% with the majority of the
population living along the coastline and along transition routes, resulting in high
HIV exposure. Census data from 2007 shows that 83% of children under 5 years
age are registered at birth in Homoine compared to only 16% in Funhalouro district
(Peham & Cavane, 2012).

1.1.

The situational analysis process

We focused on the literature review based on the previous situational analysis

conducted before CARE Mozambique implement their home based ECD project in
Funhalouro and Homone, other sources provided by SECD, mapping exercise of
existing NGOs/Community based organizations and observation a year after startup implementation of home based ECD project. We used the four core building
blocks of the Essential Package as an organizer for our analysis and it allowed us to
re-think about these four ideas in the context of the communities we are serving.
2. Background
CARE Mozambique is implementing home based ECD project in Funhalouro and
Homone districts aiming to evaluate an adaptation of the Essential Package for
ECD. The project has as the target group, 4,180 childrens under 5 years affected or
at risk to be infected by VHI/AIDS and 2,090 caregivers. Before making specific
implementation plans we conducted a situational analysis highlighted above that
allowed us to understand the context in which we were working including
particularly the available ECD services and supports in both districts. We noticed in
Funhalouro and Homone some ECD services and supports such as health facilities
extended to the locality level and district social welfare, Notarial records, education
system covering only from the primary school, police stations with offices for
attending to women and children victims of domestic violence, Attorney district and
district office for economic activities, some community based organizations doing
home based care for orphan and vulnerable children and their parents affected or at
risk to be infected by HIV/AIDS, through small projects funded by USAID via
international NGOs.
In terms of geographical coverage of these services within each district we
understood that was limited to closeness localities which are easily accessible such
as Mucune and Manhia in Funhalouro district and Chindjinguir and Inhamussua in
Homone, leaving out the largest number composed by the most vulnerable
inhabitants. Apparently came up to our reflection that the high operational cost due
inaccessibility of roads and long distances to reach the largest vulnerable groups
who are living at the remote areas were the reason used by different services
providers1 to limit their geographic area of impact. CARE Mozambique selected from
the mapping exercise some CBOs as Rede Pastoral de Homone (RPH), AJEPROJ and
Mahlahle to establish the partnership agreement to jointly implement home based
ECD which started in March 2014 up to March 2016, funded by Hilton Foundation.
The implementing partners underlined above were geographical divided 2 in each
district to better implement their activities without double accounting efforts on the
same beneficiaries.
1

Government and non-government organizations including CBOs locally available.

In Homone district, Rede Pastoral de Homone is covering the only Chindjinguir locality
while Mahlahle is covering Inhamussua locality. In Funhalouro, AJEPROJ is covering Mucune
locality while Mahlahle is covering Manhia and Mavume localities.

3. Analysis
The future of any society depends on its ability to foster the health and well-being of
the next generation and the science has a lot to offer about how we as a community
can use our collective resources most effectively and efficiently to build the strong
foundation providing children with what they need (Bales et all, 2007). The National
Strategy for Child Integral Development in Preschool Age approved by the
government in 2012, under the Ministry of Education as the central coordinator
highlight the importance of building the integrated services to be most effective and
efficient on the use of the resources as a way to ensure the early development of
cognitive skills, emotional well-being, social competence, and sound physical and
mental health of young children, particularly those who are affected or at risk to be
infected by HIV/AIDS, building their strong foundation for success well into the adult
years.
Taking into account the existing ECD services mentioned above and their lake in
terms of geographic they area coverage as well as their weak efficiency and efficacy
to address ECD issues to the young children as scientifically recommended, we are
moving to present the ECD services needed, the gaps on the services existing and
the relevance of building an integrated ECD services at community level as well.
3.1.

Preschool

When we conducted our first situational analysis before start-up the ECD project,
the caregivers attended the focal group discussion pointed the preschool as the
existing gap in both districts. Interview conducted to the district Directorate of
Education in Funhalouro confirmed this situation and pointed to the need of this
important service as a way forward to improve the rates of young children,
particularly the most vulnerable to the primary school. Two years after have
approved the National Strategy for Integral Child Development in Preschool Age
in Mozambique, any preschool was created in Funhalouro district due a lot of
causes such as the lack of funds on education sector. The district Directorate of
Education in Homone district, revealed the existing a considerable number of
preschool center at the community served by Plan International in only Golo
locality. He also pointed these centers as crucial to build on the young child the
foundation needed before they enter at primary school and at same time
underlined as relevant to ensure their sustainability after Plan International
Project come to the end.
3.2.

Home based ECD

At the first time in Funhalouro and Homone, CARE Mozambique and its
implementing partners, started in June 2014 to implement home visits aiming to
reach a total of 4,180 children under 5 years age affected or in risk to be

infected by HIV/AIDS and 2,090 caregivers. The localities targeted by this project
are Mucune, Manhia and Mavume in Funhalouro district and Chindjinguir and
Inhamussua in Homone. These localities are not representing the more than one
third in both districts, meaning that still have a considerable vulnerable people
not benefited. In Homone district, while CARE and its implementing partners are
implementing home based ECD in Chindjinguir and Inhamussua, Plan
International is implementing preschool in Golo locality. CARE and Plan
International agreed to work together to have integrated preschool at the
community where has currently home based ECD in place. The same picture
cannot be viewed in Funhalouro district due the circumstances mentioned above.
The adapted Essential Package used by Masungukate 3 to conduct their home
visits has holistic approach and it require from us to have at district level an
integrated approach aiming to bring different ECD service provider to the infant
and young children needs. With technical support provided by CARE
Mozambique, was established in November 2014, the Multisectoral Council for
Protection and Integral Child Development in Funhalouro district and reactivated
other in Homone both headed by the Directorate of Health and Social Welfare
which the purpose is to create the dynamism and coordination on ECD issues,
including to turn functional the referral system.
3.3.

Health facilities

Funhalouro and Homone districts has the health facilities in all localities 4 but the
distance to reach these facilities still representing the challenge to the large
number of vulnerable people who deliberately use the traditional mechanism
since yearly pregnancy and to the baby after birth. The government provided at
local level the polyvalent health agents as the local resources and considered as
important for ECD, but we dont have yet established the linkage between these
agents and Masungukate representing a gap to be covered as soon as possible.
A lot of advantage will be acquired linking this resources, while Masungukate are
conducting home visits would be easier to them refer caregivers who are living
fare from health centers and having specific health issues to these local
polyvalent agents as a way to avoid the use of the traditional medicine. Twice
per year the government provide to the communities the immunization
campaign and its seems as useful to reach young children, including affected by
HIV/AIDS living in remote areas. In terms of datas on HIV/AIDS prevalence per
each locality, we still have a gap efforts must be done also by the health
system to ensure that infant stimulation combined with nutrition initiatives
improves growth outcomes of young children as outlined by walker, S. et all
(2005).
3

Masungukate are a kind of community volunteers who are locally considered as good
advisor. In singular is designed Sungukate
4

Each locality has at least one health facility.

3.4.

Notarial records

A lot of childrens who are living at remote areas doesnt have the birth
registration and according with the results of the focal group discussions
conducted last year, a lot of children and their parents doesnt have birth
registration in Funhalouro due a lot of reasons such as negligence, emigration of
their biological parents looking for better condition outside and others. Through
the integrated ECD services would be useful to have integrated Notarial records
jointly twice per year when the government provide the immunization campaign
to the children aged 0 to 5 and this can be seen as a greater opportunity to
effectively target young children, including the most vulnerable providing more
than one services at the same time. The created District Multisectoral Council
has an important role to play as the only one and integrated to deal with ECD
and other issues.
3.5.

District office for agriculture and economic activities

Economic empowerment is an important component to support the vulnerable

people who are living under the poverty, composed mostly by women and girls,
and their children under 5 years old, depending on the land and its available
local resources. When these vulnerable groups, particularly affected by HIV/AIDS,
are economically empowered by doing income generation activities, saving and
loans and others can reduce significantly their poverty problems, improving their
well-being5. On the economic empowerment to the vulnerable groups we still
have a lot of challenges, particularly in Funhalouro where is prone to the food
insecurity and drought. The weak intervention of agriculture sector on the only
one home based ECD project in order to technical support the caregivers
providing the most appropriate knowledge on food crops can be seen as the gap
to have the integrated ECD services. The economic empowerment to the
vulnerable groups in Homone is better than Funhalouro. More than two third of
the soil are fertile and exist some rivers. Some Masungukate and caregivers
belong saving and loans club and are also producing different food crops.
Homone inhabitants has facilities in terms of commercialization, is about 20km
from the manly market in Maxixe. This sector would also support the families to
produce a kind of food crops containing a lot of micronutrients which can be
used together with stimulation to youth children reach their full potential
development as outlined by the World Bank (2009).

4. Conclusion and recommendations

In Funhalouro and Homone districts existing different ECD services which are still
working separately, not covering the really vulnerable group composed by children
5

Having Money to buy a variety of food and other goods, going to the health center when
needed, buying school material to their young children, etc.

affected or at risk to be infected by HIV/AIDS due their structural and complex

problems which would be easily addressed if each sector was deliberately
integrated to others. The lack of guidance on the multisectoral polices and the
national strategies on the district officers at different sectors can be seen as the
manly gap for this situation.
We would strongly recommend to the ECD stakeholders, including the government
and non-government sectors the as indicated below.
a) Preschool The need of establishment of playground at the communities
benefited by home based ECD approach in Funhalouro and Homone is a
greater opportunity on the way forward to gradually create the sustainable
ECD center or preschool. CARE Mozambique and its implementing partners
are advised: i) establish/create in collaboration with the communities and
Education Office, at least 4 playground in Funhalouro; ii) provide
Masungukate training on pedagogic materials to be used at playground and
home environment; iii) to work in close collaboration with Plan International
on advocacy purpose to have engaged the government on this activities.
b) Home based ECD approach a close collaboration between CARE
Mozambique and its implementing partners, including the strategic local
government partner can be seen as strategically to provide their capacity
build on ECD issues. CARE Mozambique is advised: i) to provide to the
partners trainings on updated ECD user friendly modules based on the SECD
course content; ii) to ensure Masungukate refreshment training on ECD and
playground; iii) to work in close collaboration with health services to bring
polyvalent Agents on board to jointly collaborate with Masungukate; iv) to
monitor the tendency of population data.
c) Health facilities - we noticed that there a lack of health facilities,
particularly at remote areas, the reason why a considerable numbers of
vulnerable groups are not covered. CARE Mozambique and its implementing
partners are advised to i) establish the linkage between Masungukate and
health workers as well as polyvalent health Agent existing (Masungukate can
easily refer the caregivers and young children for health issues); ii) provide
technical support on establishment the referral system tool and to strengthen
the created Multisectoral Council for Child Protection and Integral Child
Development.
d) Notarial records CARE and its implementing partners are advised to i)
deliberately reinforce birth registration key massage on Masungukate to
ensure that the caregivers are registering their young children; ii) work in
close collaboration with health system to ensure that the Notarial records
team work together with health system when launched the immunization
campaign.

e) District office for agriculture and economic activities CARE and its
implementing partners are advised to i) update the existing caregivers in
saving and loans club, doing income generation and producing a considerable
food crops; ii) update other existing partners or initiatives working on
economic empowerment aiming to reach the vulnerable groups; iii) bring the
district office for agriculture and economic activities to actively attend the
Multisectoral Council meeting.

References
Bales, et all. The science of early childhood development: closing the gap between
what we know and what we do. National Scientific Council on the Developing Child,
Harvard University, 2007.
CARE Mozambique. A short article on the situational analysis undertaken before
implementing the CARE Inhambane ECD project. Maxixe: CARE Mozambique, 2013
Peham, A; Cavane, E. Addressing Vulnerability of female headed households in
Inhambane: A background paper on programming options for Irish Aid and CARE.
CARE Mozambique, Maputo, 2012.
Walker, S. et all. Effects of early childhood psychosocial stimulation and nutritional
supplementation on cognition and education in growth-stunted Jamaican children:
perspective cohort study. Jamaica, 2005
World Bank. Child and Youth Development: Supplementing nutrition in the early
years, the role of early childhood stimulation to maximize nutritional inputs, 2009.