Child Poverty in Mozambique. A Situation and Trend ... - Unicef

The level of testing for HIV among young people is also very low, estimated at less
than 5 per cent in 2003. Beyond the lack of knowledge and high level of stigma, the
lack of access to service remains a key constraint for young people. While Voluntary
Counselling and Testing (VCT) facilities have rapidly expanded, from 18 centres in
2002 to 158 in 2005, these centres are attached to health facilities and there is limited
geographical coverage. Since 1999, the Government has also rapidly expanded a
network of Youth Friendly Health Services (YFHS), where young people from 10 to 24
years of age have free access to information about HIV/AIDS. In 2005, there were 133
YFHS in the country, covering about half of all districts. The YFHS are however mostly
attended by young people from urban areas and less than 10 per cent of attendees
are among the “window of opportunity” age group (i.e. 10 to 14). In addition, very
few YFHS offer testing facilities. In the May 2006 Mozambique Youth Report on
UNGASS, young people noted that “the existence of YFHS in the provinces and
districts has been an important achievement, but their location makes it difficult for
young people to reach, due to long distances from their residences, that reduced the
capacity for access”.
7. The immediate and underlying causes of education deprivation
The analysis below categorises causes as immediate or underlying, although there
is overlap between the different categories. A number of recent studies have
provided insight into the complex and interrelated factors influencing school access
and retention in Mozambique. This section draws largely on the findings of two
complementary studies. The first is a Poverty and Social Impact Assessment (PSIA)
conducted by the World Bank in 2004 to assess the impact of lowering the costs of
schooling (WB 2004). The second is a study conducted in 2004 aimed at assessing
the barriers to girls’ education at district level in Zambezia province (Justiniano et al.
2005).
A. Immediate causes of education deprivation
The pattern of access to education has been described above, with characteristics of
a child’s residential area, sex and age being key in characterising their access to and
progress through education.
The immediate causes of education deprivation for Mozambican children include low
uptake of education opportunities, low household incomes, lack of access to and lack
of quality of education.
(i) Direct education costs
The direct costs of education are cited as a major barrier to children enrolling and
staying in school (INE 2003b: 74; Justiniano et al 2005: 25). Direct costs of education
include school fees (until 2004), materials (such as books), food, uniforms or clothing
and possible in-kind contributions to school upkeep. The 2002/3 IAF showed, for
example, that 25 per cent of children aged 6 to 17 years who had dropped out of
school gave the main reason as the cost of schooling (‘school is expensive’) (INE
2003b: 74).
Both fees and the non-fee related costs of education were thought by education
guardians and education sector staff to be equally influential (before the suspension of
fees in 2004) in decision making about whether a child enrolled or continued in school
(WB 2005:30). These costs were particularly significant for children of the poorest
families (WB 2005: 42). There was some difference between rural and urban areas,
with the inability to pay for uniforms being more significant in urban than rural areas.
CHILDHOOD POVERTY IN MOZAMBIQUE: A SITUATION AND TRENDS ANALYSIS
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