Learning Exchanges Between Nigeria and Mozambique

During August 2001, 16 of IWHC's Nigerian colleagues met with 25 Mozambican representatives for a five-day learning exchange on adolescent sexuality and reproductive health, originally suggested by Dr. Pascoal Mocumbi, Prime Minister of Mozambique and IWHC Board member. The workshop, cosponsored by IWHC, Pathfinder International Mozambique, and the United Nations Population Fund, brought together representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), government ministers, and young people from both countries. In a lively exchange and despite differences in language, participants shared their experiences in developing programs for adolescents, including how to involve them in program design and implementation. Participants also emphasized the importance of supporting programs designed by adolescents for adolescents.

Since Nigeria has made progress toward establishing a national sexuality education curriculum, Mozambican participants wanted to know how the Nigerian NGOs had both developed it and advocated for it. They also sought information on how their Nigerian colleagues had integrated a gender perspective into their programs for young women and men. In turn, the Nigerians were interested in the Mozambican government's commitment to adolescent-friendly health services, including its referral network involving peripheral clinics and the central teaching hospital in Maputo. Participants also visited adolescent clinics, school-based sexuality education programs, and economic skills programs for young people in Maputo.

Inspiring speeches were made by Dr. Mocumbi, who called for greater equality between women and men, and emphasized the importance of a gender approach in adolescent programs, and former first lady and activist Graça Machel. Dr. Mocumbi encouraged Mozambican NGOs to be more active in responding to the needs of youth and in engaging their government in a dialogue on these issues. Graça Machel, in speaking about AIDS (which she called a “pandemic of the poor”) exhorted all participants to “mobilize resources from within and challenge our governments regarding how much of our countries' budgets are put toward the prevention of AIDS.” She said, "Youth are a key element in this process. Youth must challenge how we are addressing this issue."

In 2002, IWHC organized a reciprocal exchange, bringing a group of Mozambican NGO and government representatives to Nigeria to observe programs focused on developing a national sexuality education curriculum, providing gender-specific services for young people, and modifying medical school curricula to reflect a reproductive health and adolescent health perspective. They participated in a series of workshops on gender and sexuality education, with a particular focus on girls' needs; observed a teacher training session for implementation of the curriculum; and attended trainings on adolescent rights.