Mozambican Civil Society Within: - UNICEF Mozambique - Home page

Mozambican Civil Society Within: Evaluation, Challenges, Opportunities and Action
Introduction
This document presents the results of a research project on the Civil Society Index (CSI) in
Mozambique conducted over some nine months between March and December 2007. It is part
of a project implemented by the Foundation for Community Development (FDC) in close
collaboration with CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation.
The CSI is an integrated, participatory research project that evaluates the state of civil society
in the world, and has already involved over 50 countries. The project links the evaluation to
reflection on civil society and planning by stakeholders and also by members of other sectors
involved. The project thus tries to provide an example of how research can articulate with the
formulation of concrete initiatives to strengthen the weaknesses identified.
As in other countries, the CSI project in Mozambique was implemented by a CSO, the FDC,
which created the National Index Team (NIT), a National Advisory group (NAG) and implemented
all stages of the research up to the conclusion of this report. The whole process was monitored
and supported by the CIVICUS team, but totally implemented by national researchers from and
contracted by the FDC.
The technical team met, systematised, and analyzed information from multiple sources, both
secondary and primary. All the information was shared and discussed with the NAG. It was also
the NAG that finally validated and decided on the score awarded to the 80 indicators that make
up the CSI.
At different stages of the research the data and results were subject to widespread discussion
and critical analysis. Consultations and data collection took place throughout the country, and
included two primary research. One was a Community Sample Research (INC07) with a sample
of 4,015 households. The other was a Provincial stakeholder consultations (INOSC07) with a
sample of 477 CSOs.
As an international comparative project the fundamental aspects of the methodology are the
same and common to all countries. The index was conceived with two main objectives: to
provide up-to-date and useful knowledge about civil society and to use the results to increase
the commitment of stakeholders to strengthening and expanding civil society.
The first objective involves a degree of tension between international comparability and the
specific characteristics of each country. In each country every research team tries to overcome
this tension by adapting the methodology when necessary so that the indicators capture the
specific reality of the country. In the case of Mozambique the technical team identified some
special characteristics that were not properly covered by the 74 indicators in the basic
methodology. For this reason, in the case of Mozambique the CSI has 80 indicators instead of
the 74 initially proposed by CIVICUS.
Civil Society Index, Mozambique 2007
1