MOZAMBIQUE LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND Invest in the early years ECDANEarly Childhood Development Action Network Contents Introduction 3 Mozambique’s national early childhood development policy context 5 Donor support for early childhood development 8 Conclusion and recommendations 13 References 16 COVID-19 threatens the basic rights of children in Mozambique In line with many other governments affected School closures have meant that 101,000 children by the COVID-19 pandemic, the government in have not been able to attend pre-primary school. Mozambique has implemented measures to slow The longer the absence from school, the less likely the transmission of the virus. These measures, it is that children, particularly girls and children which have impeded economic activities and with disabilities, will resume schooling. Missing reduced access to basic social services, are likely to out on fundamental early childhood education can push millions more families into poverty. have a detrimental affect on future educational and earning prospects. While well-resourced countries The rights and welfare of millions more children have resorted to distance learning to bridge this are unmet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Food educational gap, this is largely not possible in insecurity – caused by reduced income and Mozambique, where 74% of children have no disrupted food chains – is likely to worsen the access to electricity and only 2% have access to the already extremely high levels of malnutrition internet. among children up to the age of four (45% in urban areas). The diversion of health resources to fight While the majority of children in Mozambique face the virus will directly affect children’s access to dire circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 vaccinations and medication or care for chronic pandemic, some are particularly vulnerable to its illnesses and common infectious diseases, such as devastating effects. Prior to the pandemic, 10% of malaria. Disruption to water supply operations will children under the age of 12 in Mozambique were hamper efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 orphans, putting them at increased risk of violence, as well as other diseases, such as cholera. Children abuse and exploitation. Children with disabilities, with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to children on the move, children in institutions and COVID-19 direct transmission as a result of their children living in areas affected by conflict (such as pre-existing health conditions and disadvantages in Cabo Delgado) require urgent attention and aid in accessing basic services. the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2 MOZAMBIQUE | LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND Introduction Globally, 43% of children under the age of five, 250 million individuals, are at high risk of not achieving their full potential due to developmental delays.1 In Mozambique, this percentage is much higher. There, 61% of young children are at risk of poor development. Poverty, which affects 82% of children,2 is a key cause. Reversing this requires urgent and continuous multi-stakeholder action. Multiple factors influence a child’s development, including access to health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, early learning opportunities, and access to clean water and safe basic sanitation, the latter To help children thrive, now and later in life, requires mitigating and even preventing many avoidable and investing in their access to healthcare, proper nutrition, fatal illnesses.3 adequate early learning and stimulation interventions, responsive caregiving, and emotional and physical Malnutrition, in particular, is a major problem in security from the moment they are born.8 Putting Mozambique, with 44% of children being chronically funds and resources towards high-quality, equitable undernourished. Besides the fact that 25% of young and inclusive ECD services can also help mitigate the children have stunted growthA, poor access to sufficient multitude of risks children are facing at the same time nutritious food claims thousands of young lives every as making it easier for them to access their rights. This year.4 It is estimated that one in three deaths in children will pave the way for more equal societies.8 under five is caused directly by undernutrition.4 Poor access to clean water and basic sanitation amplifies This matters most for children from disadvantaged and this: less than half of all Mozambicans (47%) have rural households. Children with disabilities, in particular, access to clean drinking water, and only one in four face multiple barriers and layers of discrimination, and (27%) have access to basic sanitation.2 they are often excluded from ECD services.8 Supporting them in their early years helps identify their ECD needs Finally, many Mozambican children, especially those and how we should respond to these so they can fully from poor and rural households, are not adequately participate in and belong to their communities.8 prepared for primary school, and struggle to meet required learning outcomes. Children in rural areas, in This is backed up by evidence that suggests that particular, are at risk of serious developmental delays investing in children’s early years is one of the in cognitive and language skills, as documented by a smartest investments a country and donors can make World Bank study of a rural community-based early to break the cycle of poverty, address inequality childhood development (ECD) programme in Gaza and boost children’s overall productivity later in province.5 life.B Yet in Mozambique, the provision of and access to quality ECD services rooted in the Nurturing Care Responding to these risks and deprivations as early Framework is low, due to low government funding. This as possible requires a “nurturing” approach to means development partners have a key role to play in developing ECD services. Evidence,6 as increasingly supporting the authorities in this priority. The problem acknowledged in global policy debates,7 shows is that the overall level of overseas development that the multi-dimensional nature of ECD requires a assistance (ODA) spent on improving ECD services in comprehensive, cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder Mozambique remains low. approach rooted in the principle of nurturing care.8 A. See: https://blogs.worldbank.org/health/health/zh-hans/ B. The research underlying this finding may be found here: node/614 https://heckmanequation.org/resource/the-heckman-curve/ 3 This study analyses Mozambique’s ECD services Box 1. The difference appropriate context, what donors are doing to support the ECD interventions can make: a government in terms of ODAC and what more they case study of twin boys from could do. Our starting point is that donors have a Mozambique specific supportive role to play in scaling up equitable and inclusive ECD services in their recipient countries Twin brothers Jonson and Ronson from (see Box 5). Dondo, Sofala Province, were born in 2008 by caesarean section due to late-stage pregnancy Five interrelated and indivisible complications. After being discharged, the components of nurturing care boys’ father was concerned because Jonson did not cry or move his arms and legs like his twin brother. After seeking medical attention, the paediatrician explained the baby had cerebral palsy, a condition which had resulted from a lack of oxygen to the brain during childbirth. The doctor recommended physiotherapy. However, it took Jonson’s parents three years to get physiotherapy for their son because they could not afford to pay the transport costs associated with the regular visits to Beira Central Hospital, 30 km away from Dondo. As the sole breadwinner, Jonson’s father took on odd jobs to support his family of 10. In 2017, Jonson was identified as a beneficiary of the services offered by a Light for the World community-based rehabilitation programme in Dondo. He was given a wheelchair, and the entire family received practical advice on how to help him develop his communication and coordination skills through play, participatory community activities, such as church choir, and other day-to- day activities. In 2018, when he turned 10, Jonson enrolled in the local village school. His father hopes his son will be able to study when he is older and have a professional career. While Jonson has a very loving and supportive family, poverty and a lack of appropriate advice and support early in life have denied him the rights his twin brother has enjoyed, making it harder for him to catch up and achieve his full potential. C. For a definition of ODA, see: https://www.oecd.org/dac/ financing-sustainable-development/development-finance- standards/official-development-assistance.htm 4 MOZAMBIQUE | LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND Mozambique’s national early childhood development policy context The government of Mozambique is increasingly points include safe motherhood, the provision of recognising the need to develop an adequate ECD parenting classes for caregivers, access to training and policy frameworkD, which thus far has largely been professional career guidance for educators and other contained to pre-primary subsector interventions, with pre-school professionals and, finally, promoting a minimal overlap with other areas such as healthcare. higher level of intersectoral ECD coordination.9 Presidential Decree No. 7 of 2010 and the 2010-2014 Being implemented in stages, the strategy’s pilot has Five-Year Plan have highlighted the need for a holistic focused on the expansion of pre-primary services pre-primary education strategy at country level,