Work4Progress Creates 535 Companies and 4,485 Jobs – Facts

The Work4Progress platform – Innovation for Employment, initiated by the “la Caixa” Foundation and coordinated by the University Education Development Foundation (FUNDE), aims to promote employment and increase incomes among women and young people. Since 2018, a total of 40,618 people have directly and indirectly benefited in vulnerable sectors, with the creation of 535 companies and 4,485 jobs in the provinces covered, namely Maputo and Cabo Delgado.

Agriculture, entrepreneurship and professional training are the main areas of intervention for the initiative, which focuses on prototypes that are then transformed into sustainable and autonomous companies as people are supported, thus becoming less dependent on the project.

“We have prototypes in the field of personnel training services in areas such as hospitality, security, etc., but the biggest impact is in agriculture. Therefore, they are being implemented in rural areas”, said Rosânia da Silva, coordinator of the Work4Progress platform in Mozambique, speaking at the recent annual conference in the city of Maputo, whose theme was “Employment and financing of young people: innovation and value chains in agriculture”.

In addition to the achievements, the meeting also discussed the difficulties and challenges encountered in the implementation of the initiative, one of which is the insecurity in Cabo Delgado.

In this regard, Lourenço do Rosário, president of FUNDE, considers that the studies conducted on this phenomenon, which point to poverty and youth unemployment as the main causes, are “a wrong assessment”: “Poverty and unemployment are not limited to Cabo Delgado. It is necessary to delve deeper into the causes of this violence, which is currently concentrated only in Cabo Delgado. This is a challenge facing universities as centers of knowledge production. Are poverty and youth unemployment the main factors?” he asks.

The meeting was attended by Her Royal Highness Infanta Dona Cristina (Spain), Director of the International Department of the “la Caixa” Foundation, who stressed that the strategy of the Initiative consists of promoting opportunities and combating inequalities through projects that contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and promoting relevant partnerships and alliances that allow us to work together to successfully address common challenges.

“For more than 20 years, Mozambique has been a priority country for us. We have implemented another 50 projects that have benefited almost 5 million people. Work4Progress is a truly innovative platform that connects actors and actions in a more effective way. The platform’s approach has enabled 10 NGOs, universities and financial institutions (previously unrelated companies) to unite to provide employment opportunities for vulnerable women and young people”, he stressed.

On this occasion, the Government, through the Secretary of State for Youth and Employment, Oswaldo Petersburgo, recognized the contribution and impact of the Work4Progress platform project in promoting quality employment, with a focus on women and vulnerable young people.

Therefore, “we hope that you will continue to work with us on future initiatives aimed at promoting employment and social inclusion. I have witnessed the work done by the Foundation in the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Maputo. I had the opportunity to visit young beneficiaries and to collaborate with the Employment Institute, which uses the platform”, said Oswaldo Petersburgo.

Work4Progress – Innovation Platform for Employment Promotion, promoted by the “la Caixa” Foundation (Spain), is a pioneering initiative developed in India, Mozambique, Colombia and Peru. In Mozambique, the project has been running since 2018 in the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Maputo, integrating the organizations Ayuda em Accion, Cesal and Enraiza Derechos, which form a network with other small local organizations to form an integrated platform called Work4Progress Moçambique.