Q&A: Pathfinder’s use of ICT4D in Mozambique

In October 2021, illuminAid conducted a four-day Video Education Workshop (VEW) in Mozambique with NGO partner Pathfinder International. One of Pathfinder's attendees to the VEW, Jose Mpingo, continues to create videos and facilitate screenings a year and a half later — evidence of the viability of illuminAid's methods and Mpingo's dedication to effecting change in his community with the aid of those same methods. Mpingo, now the field supervisor for Pathfinder's project addressing child marriage in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, has produced several educational videos related to child marriage, as well as documented project stories and facilitated community debates at video screenings.

Pathfinder International has a long history of leading community programs to empower young women with reproductive health decisions and other equity initiatives in areas of the world that are most mired in poverty and conflict. Jose Mpingo kindly provided some insight on Pathfinder's program in the area where he lives and some reassuring affirmations of the firsthand impact ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development) can have.

illuminAid: How long have you been at Pathfinder, and why did you join?

Jose Mpingo: I joined Pathfinder in January 2020. I first worked in Palma district as a field supervisor in the area of HIV and TB, and in March 2021, I started working with the project ‘Preventing Child Marriage in Cabo Delgado,’ or as it is locally known — Uholo-Raparigas e Jovens. I embraced Pathfinder’s cause because I like to empower communities and approach them with health and education services. Pathfinder is a very open organization, and its actions are very effective in empowering communities. In relation to adolescent girls, Pathfinder is promoting girls’ rights, as girls in these communities tend to not exercise their rights. We are raising awareness of girls and community members around female rights regarding sexual and reproductive health, education and right to a life without violence, among others. This project is focused on opening up new opportunities for these girls, which is very important.

illuminAid: What is the most urgent challenge or hardship young women in Cabo Delgado province presently face?

Jose Mpingo: Young women in Cabo Delgado generally face several difficulties, such as gender-based violence, child marriage and poverty. Nowadays, they have additional challenges because they also face the consequences of the ongoing terrorism that is affecting the province.

illuminAid: What do you like best about using locally-created video as an education tool, and what impact have you seen it have on your community? 

Jose Mpingo: The screening of locally-produced videos has many advantages; they are a great education tool. Through the screening sessions, I see that girls are learning about the negative impacts of child marriage — about what to do if it happens to them or other girls, and getting information on where to seek help. The videos are very helpful in the retention of information and are very effective in educating, as well as raising awareness and reflection.

The use of local languages in the videos really touches these communities, and it makes it easier for girls and adults to integrate the messages of the videos. When they see on the screen a girl or a local leader speaking in their own language, it feels first hand, close to them, and they understand it easily. They think, “That person is like us, is from our community,” and feel reflected in the characters or the stories.

illuminAid: Do you have any individual stories you want to share about the shift in beliefs and attitudes people in your community have had as a result of viewing the videos?

Jose Mpingo: I remember well; a participant of one of the community debates using a video screening in Gingonoe neighborhood in Pemba City. He was a man in his forties and a father of adolescent girls who approached me after the debate. We had viewed a video depicting a girl who “escaped” from a child marriage thanks to the intervention of her grandmother.

This man was very encouraged by the video and came up to me very excited, saying, “I liked the video very much. I’ve learned about things I didn’t know about. As caregivers, we cannot support child marriage; we cannot keep silent. We should follow the example of this grandmother who forbade her granddaughters from early marriage. Now I know how I should act. I know now that it is a crime. I know that anyone can report.”

I see that the videos are changing attitudes and behaviors of people in the communities, like this man.

illuminAid: Is there a recently-produced video you would like to feature in the IlluminAid newsletter?

Jose Mpingo: Recently, in December, I produced two videos documenting the experiences of two young women that initiated income-generating activities through their participation in the saving and credit groups for young women that the project is promoting.

These videos are meant to document stories of change in the project but could also be screened in the communities to encourage girls and young women to join similar groups and to believe in themselves and in their capacities. There are young women who do not have the confidence that they could one day open up a small business and work outside their homes, and the testimony of these young women in the videos can be inspirational for them. They can motivate them and make them say, “Yes, I can! It is possible! By joining these groups, for example, I can make my dreams come true.” These videos could also make caregivers or husbands of these young women become more supportive to the participation of their daughters or wives in the saving and credit groups the project is implementing.

Please note that videos are in Portuguese, the official language of Mozambique.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yw3FhZVKKp34KudoJvsterAnWFQP-7Mb/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-72MhqM2NuOEkqgto6pvc7is3VKXVMhc/view?usp=sharing

illuminAid: Is there any other information you would like to share that you think is important for people reading the illuminAid newsletter to know?

Jose Mpingo: The introduction of the local video production and screening was a great initiative. It was great to be able to participate in the illuminAid training on basic filming and editing package, and it makes a great difference in our communities. The audio-visual communication is very powerful, and it contributes to changing behaviors. I would say that the video screenings contribute to making changes faster. We have people in the communities who cannot read, and the video is very appealing to them.

Personally, I’ve always liked the communication world, but it was thanks to the illuminAid training that developed my skills, and through the filming experience, I can see the improvements I am making in the quality of the videos. We also had some post-training technical support which will be useful to have again soon to leverage the potential that the software offers and to improve techniques. I would also like the project to purchase reflectors to improve the quality of filming.

On another note, we are using an evaluation form that we apply at the end of the debates after the video screening to assess participants’ understanding of the video content and the messages they transmit, and, as per the results, I can say that the great majority understand well. When there have been a few cases of doubt among participants, we have been able to clarify them.

Special thanks to Kendra Hebert and Estrella Alcalde for making this interview possible.

For more information on Pathfinder’s USAID-funded project that aims to improve the lives and livelihoods of adolescent girls and young women, and to reduce the incidence of child marriage, head over to https://www.pathfinder.org/projects/preventing-child-marriage-in-cabo-delgado/