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MICAIA Foundation
PO Box 121
Chimoio, Mozambique
+(258) 878666308
info@micaia.org
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Micaia Foundation combines its project work with a growing involvement in encouraging and engaging in local philanthropy in Mozambique. We believe passionately in the power of community philanthropy and we proud to be part of the Giving for Change alliance that is working to build community philanthropy in different parts of the world.
As a Foundation, we aim to build a portfolio of small grants programmes, deploying funds raised locally and internationally, and we are starting with the Celia Dinizs Memorial Fund, offering scholarships for girls to attend Secondary school.
Micaia Foundation has capacity to manage larger-scale grant funds, and several of the Foundation’s projects incorporate grantmaking, including Giving for Change.
Our vision is that in future, Micaia Foundation will be offering re-granting services to the growing number of international funding partners that are turning to African foundations as the best vehicle for reaching communities with well-targeted and carefully managed small grants.
Across Mozambique, in rural villages and city neighbourhoods, local people come together to try and find solutions to the many challenges they face. Too often, they feel helpless. If there is no NGO or donor available to help, the challenges seem daunting. Yet in every community – of place or people – there are resources: people with skills, unwanted equipment, unused space. And money. However small the contribution, almost everyone can contribute a little money as they do when family and friends are in need.
Through our Giving for Change project, Micaia is working to encourage community philanthropy, and one of the tools we use is to offer matching grants to local groups and associations. Groups first share their idea for a small project and describe their fundraising plan. If the concept seems realistic, we assign a Community Philanthropy Agent to do some training with the group and help in developing the full application. Grants made will match money raised as well as the value of other resources secured.
For more information about the Micaia Matching Grants programme, please email Micaia.
In many communities in Mozambique, education is a right that is often taken away from children long before they complete their schooling. Even if children achieve the grades to go on to secondary school, families struggle to pay the boarding school costs.
For girls, the situation is even worse. In rural areas such as the north of Manica Province, where Micaia works with 50 communities, girls very rarely get the opportunity to go to secondary school. Parents assume that their daughters will be married, usually as teenagers, so they see little reason to pay for education.
Micaia works to enable ALL people to have opportunities to lead change in their lives and communities. So, to help create opportunities for girls to continue their education, we have established Aprender Sempre – The Célia Diniz Scholarship Fund for Girls, named in honour of Célia Diniz, a former Micaia Foundation Chair of the Board who devoted her life to enabling young people to keep learning.
To be eligible for a scholarship, girls must have reached the end of primary school with a good level of achievement. We visit schools in areas in which Micaia works, talk to the girls, and invite applications. When we have a shortlist of eligible candidates, we talk with the girls’ parents and explain how the scholarship works. The girls will go far from their village, staying in a boarding school near to Chimoio, so it is very important that the families and community leaders feel confident that the girls will be safe.
Aprender Sempre – Célia Diniz Scholarship Fund for Girls made its first awards in 2022, enabling five girls to continue their education. We now want to give many more girls the opportunity that Rute, Chingai, Chupicai, Maninha and Sónia (aged 11 to 14) have been given. Just £100 per month covers schooling, boarding, books, and uniform. The Micaia board members and staff have agreed that between us we will cover the costs for our first five scholars until they finish school. Will you join us in helping other girls stay in school? All contributions are welcome.
MICAIA Foundation
PO Box 121
Chimoio, Mozambique
+(258) 878666308
info@micaia.org