Events

Mozambique celebrates not only one Women’s Day; they reserve a whole month for women! The “Mês da Mulher” kicks off 8 March on International Women’s Day and ends on 7 April which is the “Dia da Mulher Moçambicana”, or National Women’s Day. In this framework, the Belgian Diplomatic Mission and the Delegation of Flanders in Maputo join other female diplomats in the 'Ambassador for a day' initiative. This activity invites girls, who represent the various provinces in Mozambique, to take over the role of an ambassador for one day.

On 15 February, the General Representative of Flanders in Southern Africa, Geraldine Reymenants and the Deputy General Representative of Flanders in Malawi, Sofie Geerts visited a new animal feed plant operated by Ziweto Agri-Vet shops. Ziweto (livestock in the Chichewa language) was launched in 2013 with the objective of addressing the poor health of livestock in Malawi.

In 2023, the Government of Flanders and UNESCO celebrate 25 years of collaboration. In the framework of that cooperation, Southern Africa is a priority region for implementation of cultural and heritage projects under the Flanders UNESCO Trust Fund. One of those projects, focusing on Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH), was launched on 8 February on Ilha de Moçambique, in the presence of the Vice-Minister for Culture and Tourism of Mozambique, HE Fredson Bacar.

Emily Manda is a 33-year-old married mother of four who started farming in 2009. In 2016, she joined the Flanders-funded “Marketing Capacity Building Project” and consequently received training on improved agricultural technologies (for example field preparation, seed planting, making and spacing ridges). Once implemented, these led to bumper harvests and a much-improved income.

The current five-year strategic partnership between Flanders and Malawi is outlined in the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) 2019-2023, and focuses on the agricultural sector, more specifically on extension services, market-oriented farming and sustainable land management. The CSP guides the programming of projects and supports continuous monitoring and evaluation by Flanders and its implementing partners to measure the projects’ success and impact.

The current five-year strategic partnership between Flanders and Malawi is outlined in the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) 2019-2023, and focuses on the agricultural sector, more specifically on extension services, market-oriented farming and sustainable land management. The CSP guides the programming of projects and supports continuous monitoring and evaluation by Flanders and its implementing partners to measure the projects’ success and impact.

These processes provide a narrative with numbers, graphs and measurement indicators. However, that is only a part of the story. The real impact and value of a project can only be ascertained at grass roots level. With this in mind, we interviewed 55 beneficiaries of Flanders-funded projects in Malawi to understand the impact, if any, on their lives.

The eighth bilateral consultation between Flanders and Malawi took place in Lilongwe on 17 November.

Flanders has been active in Malawi since 2007. Every five years a country strategy paper is drawn up which gives direction to the cooperation between both governments. The third, and current, Country Strategy Paper runs until the end of 2023, and focuses entirely on the agricultural sector.

The Government of Flanders is awarding grants to two projects in Tete province in Mozambique. Both projects improve access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). They specifically target vulnerable groups and focus on mothers and newborns.

On the 19th of November, from 10am to 4pm, the 11th edition of A Taste Of Belgium take place at the foot of Table Mountain in Newlands, in the Belgian Residence at 29 Boshof Avenue.

The Government of Flanders grants 3 million euros in funding to the 'Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP)' of UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank. It is an extension of the current support. From this year until 2025, the HRP will receive 750.000 euros annually.