
Upskilling: Residents of the Nicuapa Resettlement Centre are taught how to make concrete slabs
Learning new skills gives internally displaced people a chance to rebuild their own lives and improve the lives of others
Ongoing conflict in Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, has forced people to leave their homes and seek shelter in other parts of the province. Many have resettled in centres established by the government to assist them.
People have started to rebuild their lives, build homes and plant vegetable gardens. Some have launched small business.
On the outskirts of Montepuez, the second largest city in Cabo Delgado, ForAfrika has partnered with UNICEF to improve water, hygiene and sanitation for internally displaced people.
The provision of clean water and the implementation of hygiene protocols is essential because when people are suddenly forced into crowded areas and have to share ablution areas, waterborne diseases can spread and cause untold harm.
Rebuilding lives and dignity
Clean and private ablution areas are also about restoring dignity to people who have lost everything.
One way to assist in this endeavour is to provide people with decent latrines. Along with UNICEF and local artisans, we have been training people, especially women, to cast cement latrine covers. Not only do these provide safe and clean toilets for families, they also give people skills, a chance to earn and income and a new sense of ownership and pride.
Tima Omar Kadafe, a 29-year-old woman from Macomia, is one of those who participated in the training programme at the Nicuapa Resettlement Centre near Montepuez.
She spent three days learning from local artisans.
“I learned a lot. I didn’t even know how to use a trowel before! Now, I know the right mix for concrete slabs: four buckets of sand, two buckets of gravel, and one bag of cement for two slabs,” she said with a proud smile.
“The ForAfrika team and my fellow trainees helped me a lot. They encouraged me because some people thought this work was only for men, not women.”
Tima’s involvement in the programme has had many benefits. Her life has improved and she has been able to cover her expenses and buy a bed and mattress. Before, she slept on a makeshift bed made of bamboo and tree trunks. It has also helped to improve sanitation for the community of Nicuapa.
Tima said: “I’m grateful to ForAfrika for the chance to learn and improve sanitation in Nicuapa. The slabs I made are used in people’s latrines, stopping diseases and making families more comfortable. Now, I’m a concrete slab maker. In the future, I want to start a business making and selling slabs. This will help me support myself and improve sanitation.”
She says she hopes that more communities will be given this opportunity too.