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Mozambican Civil Society Within: Evaluation, Challenges, Opportunities and Action
As an example, it emphasized the fact that CSOs have been unable to take political advantage
of election registration to conduct campaigns, or even to lobby, so that the voting card can
serve for something other than just voting during elections. Such an expensive effort as the
distribution of voting cards was never done for the Identity Card that, in practical terms and in
terms of citizenship, can be much more useful for the citizen. Unfortunately, the CSOs did not
know how to take advantage of this opportunity to try and create a capacity building instrument
for collective actions that benefit the citizen. 23
3.4.4.3 Empowering Marginalised Groups
The majority (57%) of respondents said they could recall a least one specific example of civil
society providing services to the population in general.
But this is not the case for specific marginal groups, especially minorities, who continue to be
barely visible in CSO priorities. Although the respondents recognized satisfactory success in
the services provided, the NAG gave a score of 0.0 for this indicator because of the weak
empowerment of marginal and underprivileged groups in Mozambican society.
Figure 3.4.9: Target groups for Services Provided by Civil Society, Mozambique 2007
60
56.5%
50
40
34.0%
Percent
30
20
10
5.03%
4.0%
0
General
population
Poor
communities
Woman
Other
3.4.4.4 Empowering Women
This indicator seeks to measure how civil society has been able to empower women in terms
of autonomy and capacity to materialize and control their choices. The respondents feel that
women are increasingly active in formal and especially informal ways. However, as the above
data reveal, there is a major gender imbalance in access to CSOs. In some meetings examples
were given of innumerable cases where, instead of protection, widowhood has placed them in
a very precarious situation caused by their late husband’s family.
23
Curiously, the Gungu theatre group in a play to be presented in Maputo, entitled “the firing of the Minister” has a passage where the characters comment critically on the discrepancy
between the attention and expense of the voting card compared to the enormous disorganisation and lack of consideration for the citizen’s Identity Card.
Civil Society Index, Mozambique 2007
95