The multiple dimensions of conflict often require a complex response. The situation in Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, is a perfect example of this kind of dynamic. Since rebel groups first began attacking the community, the northern part of the country has suddenly found itself having to respond to the multiple needs of the displaced population in the various centres that have been set up.

Trauma response has been a constant: offering social and psychological support and conveying the importance of mental health as a basic need of all individuals are Helpcode’s priorities in Cabo Delgado. This is why we celebrated World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2022 with the community in the Mueda district.

Our colleagues have led a group of boys, girls, men and women in raising awareness of the importance of creating personal tools for safeguarding one’s own health. The day’s activities brought the community a step closer to an awareness and self-care that can make them more resilient, better prepared to face the difficulties and unexpected twists of life and overcome their trauma. Self-care is a particularly important tool for boys and girls, ensuring their personal and professional development.

A hundred people participated in Helpcode activities on World Mental Health Day, learning to come closer to a real condition of health and awareness of their strength and their emotions as individuals, with a special focus on women and girls who have suffered gender violence.

But the complexity of the context did not allow this response to be relegated to a single area only, which is why Helpcode and its partner UNHCR sought to make this protection more effective with a livelihood component specifically targeting women in the dislocated community.

Lessons have already begun, focusing on concepts of finance and management of small enterprises. They will proceed to study the market, to see how the women participating in our project may join the world of employment, and finally, together they will learn a trade that will allow them to support their families, as they used to do in their places of origin: a goal that seems so hard to achieve today.

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Empowerment. This is a powerful word, even more powerful when we talk about female empowerment, meaning the ability to boost self-confidence and achieve full realisation of one’s personal or professional goals as a woman. This is our goal.

We want these women to feel that have taken charge of their own lives once again, and have the means to rebuild their lives after the disaster, with the confidence that they know how to do it and really can do it. We will be helping them through this process over the months to come, celebrating the success of their initiatives with them, always ensuring we are doing our best to support dislocated communities here in Mozambique.

Giulia Moro
Protection manager, Mozambico