Village Development Organisations – A Study from Cabo Delgado, Mozambique

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has been supporting the creation and strengthening of Village Development Organisations (VDOs) in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, since 2008. AKF endeavours to establish VDOs as inclusive, participatory, transparent, accountable, front-line institutions, playing an enabling development and governance role at the village level. 

As elected bodies, VDOs are also intended to play a role in representing the value of democratic processes at the local level, with periodic social audits providing an opportunity for members of the community to question VDOs on their performance, thus putting in place mechanisms for accountability and transparency that are intended to underpin community expectations around governance more broadly.