Maputo - Status Report on FY05 Democracy and Human

UNCLAS MAPUTO 001195 SIPDIS SIPDIS AF/S for HTreger AF/RSA for MHarpole AF/EPS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID MZ SUBJECT: Maputo - Status Report on FY05 Democracy and Human Rights Fund (DHRF) Projects ¶1. The following is Post's status report for FY 2005 Democracy and Human Rights Fund (DHRF) projects implemented in Mozambique. Three of the projects are ongoing. Two others were cancelled when it became apparent that the funds were likely to be improperly used. -------------- Ongoing FY 2005 DHRF Projects -------------- ¶2. HR-05-656-01 FECIV: Rehabilitating and equipping a shelter for victims of trafficking in persons Amount Granted: $15,000 Obligated: $10,840 Balance: $4,160 Location: Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane Provinces Status: The project was originally approved to equip a shelter for trafficking victims and provide them with psychological counseling, medical help and vocational training. Another donor later funded the reconstruction work and equipment of the shelter. FECIV informed us in June 2006 (when the shelter opened) that it did not have the capacity to provide the above mentioned services. After post consulted with AF/RSA and FECIV, FECIV substituted a revised proposal, which was approved, to use the funding to organize seminars to raise awareness around the issue of trafficking in persons. The revised proposal was approved in July. The seminars will likely take place in September, October and November 2006. Post granted this project a six- month extension. HR-05-656-02 FOPRONGT: Promoting civic education and reconciliation in Tete province Amount Granted: $18,000 Obligated: $0 Balance: $18,000 Location: Tete Province Status: FOPRONGT was granted money to carry out a series of seminars on civic education. They did not request funds because they misunderstood the funding process and thought that the service providers needed to provide the services before being paid. Emboff spoke with the project coordinator on August 28 and cleared up confusion about the funding process. Post granted this project a six month extension. HR-05-655-03 REDE-CAME: Campaign for the drafting of a Child Protection Law Amount Granted: $20,000 Obligated: $4,168 Balance: $15,832 Location: Maputo Status: REDE-CAME was supposed to develop a public awareness campaign, develop a brochure, upgrade and maintain its website, and host seminars and make informed legal commentary on the draft of the new child protection law. REDE-CAME developed the brochure and website (http://www.redecame.org.mz/),but has not yet hosted the seminars because of confusion about the funding process. In August Emboff met with REDE-CAME to clarify the funding process. Post granted this project a six month extension. -------------- Cancelled FY 2005 DHRF Projects -------------- HR-05-656-04 UNDE: Civic education and human rights campaign in Tete Amount Granted: $15,000 Obligated: $2,300.28 (spent and irrecoverable) Balance: $12,699.72 To De-Obligate: $12,699.72 Location: Tete Status: UNDE was supposed to carry out an advocacy campaign on human rights with a view to raising awareness amongst provincial and district authorities. Post cancelled the project when UNDE submitted invoices for exorbitantly priced hotel rooms and airplane flights. These expenses were not included in the approved project budget. The UNDE project failed because of a breakdown in communication between UNDE headquarters in Maputo and UNDE field representatives Tete. HR-05-656-05 Associacao Vie Belle: Teaching people about Mozambique's New Family Law Amount Granted: $8,000 Obligated: $3562.64 ($1,012.64 spent, $2,500 cancelled) Balance: $4,438 To De-Obligate: $6,938 (amount cancelled plus balance) Location: Maputo Province Status: Post cancelled this project when the project director was found also to be running Girafa, the publicity and printing company that submitted the lowest bids to supply many of the project's materials. The conflict of interest problem in the Associacao Vie Belle project was only uncovered when invoices were submitted. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶3. Post has redoubled its efforts to ensure that recipients of DHRF grants fully understand the necessary procedures for disbursing funds. The four recipients of 2006 DHRF grants all understand when invoices are required and how funding is disbursed, and consequently Post does not expect future delays such as occurred with two of the three ongoing 2005 DHRF projects. Meanwhile we will increase our monitoring of the three 2005 projects, despite being very shortstaffed at present, to ensure that they proceed smoothly to completion. Raspolic