This project aims at rethinking ways of reading and writing change in African gender history. Looking at oral historical narratives and the transgenerational communication of historical knowledge among the Yaawo-speaking people in northern Mozambique, it brings the study of gender in African deeper pasts in dialogue with a cultural analysis of the contemporary historical moment. My starting argument is that our understanding of the contemporary historical moment in African gender history is strongly framed by the gender and development models of the social sciences which emphasize women’s struggle for gender equality in relation to men. This understanding influences the way in which we approach the past and write our research narratives. Through this history writing, women’s historical experiences become fixed within teleological narratives of ‘liberation’ (/‘oppression’). The past is distanced from the present along a linear path, and what is termed the ‘precolonial past’ is isolated as a separate unit of study. In my research, I seek to challenge this temporal model and explore new ways to read and write gendered histories that more fully capture the multiplicity of the gendered temporalities that constitute African existence. Overall, my study has a two-fold objective: Firstly, on the basis of the Yaawo oral historical narratives, it aims to contribute to our understanding of female political and spiritual power in Africa’s precolonial past and the historical processes of change in the colonial and postcolonial contexts. Secondly, I will study how these deeper histories also echo and are reworked in the present and thus constitute the contemporary historical experience in interaction with, for instance, more recent socialist ideas of women’s emancipation and the current development discourse on gender equality. Overall, my research proposes to open new routes in the theoretical thinking as well as the methodologies of African gender history.

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The project seeks to increase Mozambican research capacity on forestry, sustainable natural resource and land-use planning considering different aspects of impacts (ecological, social and economic). In addition to joint teaching activities, it includes collaborative research on environmental and socio-economic aspects of forestry and natural resources management. The fieldwork activities take place in Manica and Zambézia Provinces.

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Almeida Sitoe, Valério Macandza, Ana Monteiro, Luis Cristovão, Elisa Vallius, Anssi Lensu, Irmeli Mustalahti

The aim of this research is to respond to the challenge of adjusting technology to local contexts in the field of ICT for development, by developing a comprehensive approach (methodology) for the analysis and design of sustainable and scalable socio-technical information systems that promote societal development of local communities in varying developing-country contexts. In addition, the project has a capacity building objective of forming a sustained tripartite international research group capable of disseminating, evaluating and improving the approach further.

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Koivu Annariina, Luukkonen Irmeli, Martikainen Susanna, Palmen Marilla, Pentikäinen Marika, Tiihonen Tuija, Vainikainen Vilma

The overall objective of the project is to support Higher Education Institutions in Tanzania, Mozambique and Ethiopia to provide education that promotes sustainable socio-economic development. Application of renewable energy and adoption of energy-efficient lighting products and systems have the great potential to reduce the increasing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. Tanzania, Mozambique, and Ethiopia have large potential of renewable energy and energy saving by applying energy efficient techniques. The project will support the development of much needed technical expertise and experience in the field of energy efficient lighting.

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Pramod Bhusal

General consultant role for the regional development cooperation project between Finland and SADC to support the development of NMHSs in the region and MASA to improve weather and climate services.

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INDEHELA-Access aims to continue from INDEHELA-ICI 2011-2013 health informatics curricula development efforts and HI pilot courses in south curricula. Informatics Development for Health in Africa – network consists of Universidade Eduardo Mondlane UEM in Mozambique, Abofemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa and University of Eastern Finland and Savonia University of Applied Sciences. Our joint interest in INDEHELA-Access is in how to make health information accessible also to populations in recourse restricted areas in a format most interesting and user-friendly yet affordable and sustainable.

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Prof Kaija Saranto UEF, Vilma Vainikainen UEF, Dr Pirkko Kouri SUAS, Prof Emilio Mosse UEM, Prof Retha deLaHarpe CPUT, Prof Omoloa Irinoye OAU

Impact assessments used by large-scale development projects are often portrayed as neutral tools providing objective and value-free information to decision-makers. However, scholars widely agree that impact assessments are inherently biased, political, and distorted by power dynamics. Using a forthcoming natural gas project in Mozambique as case study, my ethnographic field research provides important baseline study of the social, relational, and place-bound aspects of wellbeing, often overlooked in impact assessment processes.

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The UEM-Aalto sustainability and clean technologies network aims to update the curricula and the current teaching and research practices as an effort to improve the capability to address existing and emerging sustainability challenges in the forest sector and associated with natural resources, bioproducts industry and process industry in general. The new network will encompass 1) student and teacher exchanges, 2) development and implementation of a joint intensive course on sustainability and clean technologies (“Industrial Environmental Engineering”) and 3) dissemination event and measures.

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Andrade Egas, Natasha Ribeiro, Olli Dahl, Roope Husgafvel, Sakari Toivakainen, Mikko Martikka

The ZANE Study (Estudo do Estado Nutricional e da Dieta em Raparigas Adolescentes na Zambézia) focuses on the nutrition of adolescent girls in Zambézia Province, Central Mozambique. Our aim was to study the food consumption, dietary intake and nutritional status among 15 to 18-year-old adolescent girls. Data was collected in 2010 during two seasons and in one city and two districts. . Our research questions include: What is the prevalence of stunting, thinness, overweight and deficiencies of vitamins and minerals? What are the main food sources of energy, protein and micronutrients in the diet? What is the fatty acid status of the girls? Are dietary patterns or dietary diversity scores associated with blood concentrations of vitamins and minerals? Are there differences in diet and nutritional status between urban and rural girls?

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Riitta Freese, Liisa Korkalo, Helena Hauta-alus

The main objectives of the cooperation are: • to develop a study module and associated curriculum on sustainability and clean technologies • to design and implement staff/expert training for sustainability and clean technologies • to develop UEM capacity to provide services for and to establish strong links with industry, national sustainable development efforts and initiatives and other HEIs in the field of sustainability and clean technologies

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Prof. Andrade Egas, Dr. Natasha Ribeiro, MSc. (Tech.) Mikko Martikka, MSc. (Tech.) Sakari Toivakainen,