At 18 years old, Alen is proud of the positive impact his work as a male mentor and activist has had on his community in the Macanga district in Tete province. With a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes, he shares his experience that he considers unique:

"During the training, I identified with the topic related to gender-based violence because it was a recurring situation in my community and I didn't think it was right," he said.

"During the training, I identified with the topic related to gender-based violence because it was a recurring situation in my community and I didn't think it was right," he said.

Alen led mentoring sessions that brought together a group of boys as part of the UNFPA-supported My Choice program, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in Tete and Cabo Delgado provinces. The program aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies among girls and young women through universal access to family planning and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.

This work is incredibly relevant and important as the northern provinces, including Cabo Delgado and Tete, register the highest maternal mortality rates (more than double the southern provinces) in the country (Census 2017). Informing, educating, and ensuring access to services for young people is therefore critically important.

My Choice brought an inclusive transformative approach in that it included adolescents, youth, and adult men in the process of changing harmful practices such as gender-based violence, youth's relationship with alcohol, and sexual and reproductive health and rights in communities.

In Tete province, more than 35,000 men and boys have been guided by trained mentors on issues relevant to their lives.  

"During a mentoring session, a young man came to me and said he was touched after hearing me speak and proceeded to share his story. He mentioned that his parents were not happy with his behavior and intended to kick him out of the house," says Alen, adding that he reached out to the young man's parents and convinced them to give him a second chance. Thanks to the mentoring sessions, the young man changed his behavior in a positive way. "The parents are grateful that I helped their son change," said Alen.

The My Choice program has helped improve self-esteem, youth empowerment, and better ensure the dreams and life purpose of adolescents and youth - one who says so is 18-year-old Alberto, who recounted the drama of having lived under the influence of drugs, and the consequences it brought to his life. 

"I was a very shy young man, and alcohol gave me the freedom I didn't have. My friends were doing the same as me, and we didn't want anyone else around. My parents had already given up hope that I would have a direction in life," he said. Things soon changed when he joined the mentorship sessions, noting his parents were visibly happy. “They witnessed my change in behavior and habits, and today they consider me a role model for other young people my age who are in the world of drugs."

Alen and Alberto continue to inspire other youth in their community - a role they do not intend to stop any time soon: 

"People respect me for the work I do, even though I am younger. I always carry with me the words that a local leader once said to me: be a leader that people voluntarily follow, because that is the secret of success and that is the only way to promote real change. Those words have marked me and I take them into every field of my life," concludes Alen.