Fostering Civic Participation in Mozambique: How Impacto Strengthened Young Women’s Engagement in Local Governing Bodies

From 2018 to 2024, the Supporting Family Planning and Abortion Services project (locally known as Impacto) aimed to improve gender equality so that adolescent girls and young women can exercise their right to bodily autonomy. Through a multi-pronged approach, Impacto built a conducive environment for adolescent girls’ and young women’s perspectives to be valued and respected. Across nine districts in Manica and Tete Provinces, Impacto facilitated adolescent girls’ and young women’s civic participation in public decision-making spaces by increasing their awareness of their rights, building their skills in civic action and public advocacy, and addressing social barriers limiting their acceptance. This brief outlines Impacto’s approach and explores drivers of and lessons from adolescent girls’ and young women’s inclusion in public decision-making spaces. Pathfinder is now implementing a second phase of this program.