Lhaissa: Advancing Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality in Childcare Work

The project supports the empowerment of women paid childcare workers in Mozambique’s early childhood development sector. Project activities include: (1) developing and training paid childcare workers in gender-responsive and inclusive childcare; (2) piloting compensation schemes in targeted early childhood development centres; (3) organizing sessions on positive parenting and father engagement and coalition campaigns for local communities; (4) delivering feminist leadership training to parents caregivers and community members; and (5) conducting feminist research to support evidence-based advocacy to increase government officials’ knowledge on rights of paid childcare workers. It also provides technical support to advance and implement care-related national policies. Forum Mulher an umbrella organization of 35 women’s rights organizations across Mozambique co-implements the project. The project will benefit an estimated 122 community-level early childhood centres in Gaza province. Overall the project will benefit close to 5 000 paid childcare workers (98% women) and over 3 000 parents caregivers community members gender equality champions and duty-bearers such as members of parliament ministry staff and local authorities. The impact of the project extends nationally beyond the target province of Gaza through policy and advocacy efforts. It also positively impacts the quality of care provided in early childhood development centres in targeted areas indirectly benefiting girls and boys who use these services.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) enhanced protection and promotion of paid childcare workers’ rights and professional needs particularly women; (2) enhanced participation of women in community-level decision-making around gender-equitable childcare; and (3) strengthened care-related national policies frameworks and plans to fulfill the rights and needs of women.