5) Description of initiative: After almost 30 years of civil war in Mozambique, which devastated the country socially and economically, it was necessary to work hard to change the mind frame of war of almost 90% of traumatized Mozambicans to a lasting and inclusive peace building process and security to give room to social and economic development of Mozambique. In this perspective, we were aware that Mozambique and the rest of Southern Africa countries are greatly affected by the proliferation and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons which strongly contribute to isolated crime commitment and establishment of organized crime. The availability and distribution of weapons is one of the main factors undermining peace development. It fuels conflicts, crime, human rights abuses and under-development in the region, particularly in Mozambique after the last years of armed conflict. Many people are dying every day because of guns proliferation in Mozambican communities raising war traumas and fear in a time of peace. Thousands of dollars are spent annually to threat many more seriously injured, barring once again the development of Mozambique. We are now working in our communities towards civic education on peace building and the collection and destruction of proliferated small arms as important strategy to prevent violence. Objectives: - Peace keeping; - Collection and destruction of artifacts of violence; - Training the community policing councils Components: - Promotion of community civic education on Peace building; - Collection and public destruction of artefact of violence (war armaments) in illicit hands; - Hand over of incentives to individual and to collectives (communities) in exchange to given war artefacts; - Building of artworks by fragments of destroyed weapons for national and international exhibition.

6) Description of innovation: This is a very important innovation for Mozambique and for the world. We strategize in a way that the project meets the interest of the communities (peace) and how can this be achieved by a community (through education)and through a hard work implementing the lessons learnt. We have built strong relationships with the government to gain full control and management of armaments found in rural areas. This entails field security, collection, transport and destruction of small arms. This task was considered always the work of the government, however now our organization together with members of civil society has achieved ways to fulfill this important role. The United Nations in 2003 said that our project is unique in the world in terms of independence (trust their government) of management of small arms issues while many Projects around the world do only civic education and who collect weapons are their governments because of lack of trust.

7) Delivery model: About 92 Districts are familiar with the project. This covers 460 communities reached by peace education programmes. About 800.000 war artifacts in illicit hands were collected and destroyed with direct collaboration of the communities. 77.000 members and families among them former military started their small business with incentives gave in exchange with guns (sewing machines, tractors, ..), trust was build. The implementation of this project requires dedication, motivation and Know-How of each staff members and all together. Considering lack of material and financial resources, strategically, our organization established the DSWT (District Satellite Working Team) for each one of the 180 Districts of Mozambique. DSWT are volunteers and community member activists of each District that work within the District area gathering more partners with useful information on the issues of small arms. DSWT will get from our organization a month subsidy for communication (certification of information, contact calls, etc.) and transport (information and location certification, contact to regional office for possible actions). The DSWT have a focal point composed by two members chosen by the community accordingly to our requirements in collaboration with District traditional leaders and other influence people on the matter of moral and military know-how. These two members are part of 360 DSWT focal points of Mozambique supporting a civic education training workshop that is usualy organized and take place regionally. DSWT are responsible for the necessary dynamic work of the District on small arms issues, civic education on peace building and maintenance as well as security matters.

8) Key operational partnerships: Our main partners that have been helping us to achieve the project’s goals are the community members. 77.000 individuals in families are engaged within their communities, networks and national committees on peace and small arms collection and destruction. We have also built this trust with the Mozambican government due to our success and strong community partnership. This partnership also includes communities and government of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone and others in Southern Africa. We are participating in many United Nations, European Union and Southern African Development Community (SADC) initiatives on security and small arms and light weapons issues as civil society. We have also partnerships with the governments of Japan, Canada, USA, Norway, Germany, Switzerland and the United Nations.

9) Financial model: Our organzation is non-profit but studies are underway to stablish forms to secure interim money contribution of members. Our big challenge is to sustain financially the project therefore studies are underway, but in terms of leadership, team and volunteers there is a guarantee. The environment shows that every member is doing what he know and like and is proud to be part of project team which writting small pages of mozambican history e peace building and keeping participation involving communities.

          • Costs as percentage of income: N/A

          • Financing: We have established partnerships with the international community (including the governments of Japan, Canada, USA, Norway, Germany, Switzerland and United Nations agencies) as well as with national companies who fund the initiative.

10) Effectiveness

          • Project outcomes: Thousands of displaced families gained trust on the security and retuned back to their original fields where are freely producing their needs developing themselves and the rural areas; - About 800.000 war artifacts was collected and publicly destroyed which never will kill any one in Mozambique; - We exchange goods with guns (Sewing machines, tractors, construction material) hundred and hundred of families have started small business which allow them to reintegrate socially in the communities, - Spaces was opened for debates freely between government and civil society on the matter of security without fear and the criminality decreased.

          • Number of clients in past year: We count 77.000 individuals in their families have benefiting from the Project. Those are who trained by the Project, who benefite from community workshops, who reintegrated it self socially in the communities by starting small business, those who feel safe in their work fields producing their own food, those who are leaving to schools in the community without fear of assalts by criminal because weapons was already collected and destroyed, all those who gain trust to live in their communities.

11) Scaling up strategy

          • Stage of the initiative: Mature stage.

          • Expansion plan: In the next 3 years we are planning to reach out all the 10 provinces of Mozambique (starting in 2007 to 2010). We are also developing this initiative in other areas in of the Southern African region. We are looking at countries like Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We have been working with Sierra Leone. For the comming three years we designed already a Project to cover all the three country regions developing a specific (new)Project for training 1.040 Community Policing Councils that covers 130.000 community Policing agents.Its a majar Project that the communities and the government of Mozambique accepted us to lead in order to give more trust, eficiancy, legitimacy, responsability and know-how for the 1.600 community policing councils.

12) Origin of the initiative: Small arms and light weapons were the most commonly used arms in the Mozambique conflict. Estimative of small arms imported officially by Mozambican government during the civil war range from 500.000 to 6 million. Russia supplied the majority of weapons to FRELIMO, with China providing some additional weaponry. After the war, the officially international co-ordinating police agency INTERPOL reported that approximately 1.5 million AK-47 had been distributed to civilian population during the course of the war. From 1979 to 1984, schools, companies, Community Associations, villages and other civil sectors were trained and distributed military weapons (Assault rifles) of all type in order to defend themselves and their property. These statistics provide evidence to the alarming situation on the massive presence of small arms in Mozambique.

Contact Information:
Albino  Forquilha
National Director
FOMICRES
(NGO)
aforquilha@yahoo.com
Mozambique
Tel: 258 82 94 34 780
Email: aforquilha@yahoo.com