A chance for children to achieve

In many schools in Mozambique, up to 90 students pack into classrooms. Because there are no desks, students sit on dirt floors or rough logs. Sometimes, there are no bathrooms or even latrines. Often, the teachers have little or no formal education.  And in many cases, girls do not enjoy the same access to education as their brothers.

We want to give the children of Mozambique an environment that is conducive to learning. We have instituted teacher-parent councils in communities, providing chairs, desks, blackboard tools, basic reference texts and stationery for classrooms, as well as supplies and sports materials for cultural groups and sports groups.  Raising awareness on children’s issues is also critical. To help improve children’s quality of life both at school and at home, we enlighten school councils about child protection, child rights, gender equity, school management, local curriculum and good hygiene.

Before children can benefit from education, though, we must ensure that they are healthy. At 109.93 deaths per 1,000 live births, the infant mortality rate in Mozambique is one of the highest in the world.  And for those babies who live past infancy, almost 15 percent die before they reach their first birthday and 25 percent before age five. This is partially due to the lack of prenatal care for mothers and postnatal care for babies, including limited availability of immunizations. Our mission is to give community centers, hospitals and education facilities greater resources for promoting children’s well-being and development. On the ground level, we provide immunizations and also carefully monitor the growth rate of children in these programs. 

Another cause of mortality in young children is malnutrition.  We strive to keep children fed, nourished and healthy by teaching their parents better farming practices and ways to preserve food for lean times.  We also provide communities with greater access to safe water and construct latrines in select villages.

We are working to replace Mozambique’s poverty, HIV and AIDS with an even higher level of hope. Help us give this country the chance to move forward with a sense of optimism.