Paper short abstract:

This paper presents a case study of a broken relationship between a donor and a recipient NGO in Mozambique. The termination of the contract can be looked upon as an act of (de)-responsibilization.

Paper long abstract:

This paper presents a case study of a broken relationship between a donor and a recipient AIDS NGO. The contract was terminated by the donor. Questions that will be explored are: Why was the contract terminated and could it have been handled in another way? What did the donor want to achieve with the termination? The closure of the contract resulted in that the national NGO had to finish most of their activities with the communities, member CBOs and PLWHA. What does 'social responsibility' mean and what does responsibilization and de-responsibilization stand for in this specific case? Mozambique's is a highly aid dependent country and the politics of AIDS is formulated in a policy document (PEN III), created together with the main donors in a Partner Forum (PF). The aid discourse embraces that the recipients require professional guidance from the outside. Most donors emphasize the will to strengthen civil society and stress the importance of responsibility and ownership. They also highlight that partnership relations should be marked by reciprocal respect and trust - so that the receiver feels self-respect. The way the donor in this case, governed the termination of the contract can be looked upon as an act of responsibilization/de-responsibilization.