The Muva programme: How to promote young women’s inclusion in the workplace

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The Muva programme: How to promote young women’s inclusion in the workplace

3:52 CAT | 14 Nov 2016

Noticias (File photo)

When a group of young women were selected to take a hotel management course, many started but did not finish the training. They were discouraged from pursuing the training by their families because it involved working night shifts.
Some of the young women abandoned their dreams and did what the family thought best for them, while others were limited to doing housework without pay, or work contrary their aspirations and life plans.

This was the story told by Cristésia Nhavoto, facilitator of human resources training with a program called Muva recently launched in Maputo.

Funded by the British government and managed by Oxford Policy Management, the program aims to empower women economically by providing them with the human and professional skills needed to get them into work.

Janet Duffield, coordinator of the initiative, said that global and national evidence showed that young women face many barriers earning a decent income. She explained that, whether trying to access self-employment or formal sector jobs, women face many challenges related to social norms and self-esteem that affect their ability to exploit and develop their social and economic potential.

The Muva initiative is being implemented by local associations over a five-year period. It covers disadvantaged young women between the ages of 15 and 29 living in urban areas where there are employment and service opportunities which girls and young women have little access to. It also supports young men in vulnerable situations.

The program covers education and inclusion in the labour market; skills for work; vocational training and life skills; computer technology; private sector and entrepreneurship.

“We improve skills before entering professional training. Often, young people enter an area they like or have a vocation for. The idea is to give them better preparation with human skills, to empower them with self-esteem and self-confidence so that, when faced with barriers, they know how to respond and not back down,” Janet explained.

Source: Noticias