The visit by a delegation to OCODEMA, a local Mozambican organization celebrated the one year of its independence from AFSC.
Chickens, stoves and literacy meant success for the first year of a new organization in Mozambique supported by AFSC.
In the town of Manica, two women’s groups are raising poultry for sale, building a breeding space, and using some of their profits to buy their children school uniforms and improve their homes. The 20 women also say they use the conflict transformation and bookkeeping skills they’ve learned every day. Another group makes energy-saving clay firewood stoves for the local market and is hard at work fulfilling an order for 24 stoves. And the program offers classes in mathematics and improved agricultural techniques so that participants can improve productivity and profits.
The Manica Community Development Organization (OCODEMA), which was formed in September 2010 by AFSC after its 30 years of service in Mozambique, is justly proud of its programs and its progress in strengthening the organization and the families it serves.
“Communities need institutions to aid their efforts to address disease, illiteracy, unemployment, and environmental concerns. Knowing that such institutions barely exist in Manica, I believe OCODEMA will fill a huge gap and help to build communities resilience to overcome deprivations,” said Dereje Wordofa, the AFSC’s regional director for Africa.
The new organization, which began with a governing board in 2009, took over most of AFSC’s Mozambique properties. OCODEMA’s current focus is on entrepreneurship, microfinance, and adult education, with results that impressed AFSC staff on a recent visit.
During the transition, OCODEMA staff learned strategic planning, proposal development, and administrative skills. At the same time, they built relationships with local community-based organizations, and established networks among development agencies in the area. These resulted in a great sense of ownership of OCODEMA amongst the staff, the board and the communities.
Although challenges for OCODEMA remain, including fundraising and diversifying income, the staff and board are confident their new organization on the right track.
As AFSC’s Christine Mbito said, “I think that OCODEMA is a nascent organization that behaves like a very mature one. They have absorbed the learning from AFSC and benefited so much from that long-standing relationship.”
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