Mozambique

We have been working in Mozambique since 1988, using various forms of community participation to provide girls and boys with access to basic rights such as education, hygiene and nutrition.

After gaining independence in 1975, Mozambique experienced profound and widespread poverty, making it almost impossible for most of the population to access fundamental rights. This was the main reason for our involvement, initially in the province of Maputo, the southernmost part of the country, where we currently operate in three of seven districts: Marracuene, Moamba, and Boane.

Although the economy has shown signs of growth in recent years, poverty in Mozambique is still widespread, especially in rural areas. Data from 2016 indicates that 68.7% of the population lives below the poverty line ($1.90 per day). There are also frequent natural disasters such as droughts and floods that destroy the population’s subsistence economy.

In 2016 alone, millions of people suffered the consequences of the severe drought caused by El Niño. Particularly in the south of the country, the lack of rain has devastated crops and hunger has become the norm for thousands of families.