GPSA projects

Country: Mozambique
Sector: Health
Executing Agency: Concern Universal Mozambique
Grant Amount: $700,000
Closing Date: December 2018

Over the last decade, Mozambique has achieved substantial progress in transitioning out of conflict. Its economy has grown at a steady pace above 6% since 2009 and inflation rates are still in the single digits.  This stable macroeconomic outlook has translated into a large influx of investments in the energy and natural resources sectors and new infrastructure projects. However, despite growing economic rates, poverty reduction efforts have lagged. Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world, according to the 2011 Human Development Index. The health and nutritional needs of vulnerable populations remain underserved across the country.

At the local level, there are concerns about limited capacity and governance challenges that may impair the effective use of public resources in the health sector. Against this background, the country is currently undergoing a decentralization process that has the potential to improve health service delivery and enhance public participation in decision-making. These changes also have the potential to exacerbate existing governance challenges due to the lack of both adequate accountability mechanisms and a strong civil society with the capacity to engage with local authorities.

Concern Universal, an organization with experience in the health sector, has been awarded a GPSA grant to improve the quality of life for poor and vulnerable populations by improving health service delivery quality using social accountability mechanisms. More specifically, the program aims to achieve this by:

1. building the capacity of local CSOs to apply social accountability tools, such as citizen scorecards and social audits, and strengthening their internal governance structures;
2. increasing citizen access to information to monitor services and fostering dialogue between CSOs and governments around health issues in two provinces:
3. collecting and disseminating knowledge related to project intervention at local and national level through media and CSOs.

The GPSA grant has helped Concern Universal Mozambique to attain the following results thus far, that:

1. 30 health units are offering better services due to use of “public auditoriums”, which are spaces for dialogue on health issues between civic groups and government and for authorities to make commitments to improvement.
2. 88 community organizations are trained to use social accountability tools and are leading social audits.
3. There is maintained close collaboration with the National Ministry of Health and close alignment with national policies, including a partnership with the working groups of the Assembly of the Republic.
4. Trust and receptiveness between citizens and health authorities have been built and enhanced.

There are multiple lessons and takeaways from this project, to be completed in late 2018 including but not limited to:

1. Accelerating integration of public administration and local government officials into Program training alongside staff may help forward the achievement of Project goals.
2. Consider a steady increase in the number of exchange sessions between civic groups during Project implementation.
3. The “public auditoriums” are powerful tools in which authorities are held to account, give clarification, explain, and state priorities relating to health sector performance.