Lurdes Mutola Foundation

The FLM focuses on participatory programmes designed to help young people improve their skills, confidence, health, and development. The FLM's education programmes work in two key areas: access and quality. The Mais Escola para Mim (More School for Me) scholarship programme addresses obstacles that lead girls to leave school and prevent them from beginning secondary school in particular. The programme provides scholarships, social worker support, and after-school programmes to girls who have completed primary school. When scholarship recipients reach the 10th grade, they are qualified to teach, work in civil service, and gain further education in technical schools.

Another educational programme is the Cantina Escolar (School Cantina) programme, which seeks to build student-led extra-curricular associations in secondary schools. It sponsors a sports, literature, and culture club at each participating school; builds multi-purpose spaces (cantinas) to house the activities; and provides tools, materials, and training for each association. The FLM also works with the Ministry of Education to implement the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme, which aims to place 5 Mozambican students between 15 and 18 years of age to study for a year in the United States.

FLM's first sports programme was designed to give young women in athletics the opportunities to compete overseas and receive support to pursue the needed training. The initiative supports women athletes with a monthly stipend and funds to travel to international and regional competitions. A second programme, Desporto de Vida (Sport for Life) uses soccer to promote health education among youth. The programme focuses on the training of coaches on issues related to health - in particular, HIV and malaria. The programme uses a manual made specifically for coaches working with 8- to 16-year-olds which introduces games that develop young people's skills on and off the field. Teams receive soccer balls via the Passa Bola campaign, which involves companies donating either percentages of profits from certain products that use the Passa Bola logo or a lump sum. The coach training manuals are available on the FLM website. The website also supports a database for sports information and documentation in Mozambique.

FLM's cultural programmes include the Abracar Project, which uses sport, arts, and entertainment to disseminate HIV/AIDS information among school-going youth. The initiative involves workshops conducted in primary schools by well-known artists and musicians. FLMs cultural focus also supports the careers of new emerging artists.

In partnership with the Millenium Bim Bank, FLM also implements the Mais Mocambique pra Mim (More Mozambique for Me) initiative, an education and sports programme that supports a range of smaller projects across the country. It has 2 main branches, one that works to rehabilitate schools and cities, and one that sponsors large basketball tournaments and sports camps for youth. According to organisers, the initiative aims to mobilise youth, clubs, schools, and neighbourhoods to build a better Mozambique.

Youth, Gender, Sport, Education