Mozambique
Mozambique’s development has been severely impeded by civil war and natural disasters making it one of the world’s poorest countries.
Mozambique: the facts
Life expectancy is just 51 years, 69 percent of the population live below the poverty line and four out of five people live on less than $2 per day.
Only 47 percent of Mozambicans have access to safe drinking water and just 32 percent access to improved sanitation facilities. 1.8 million people live with HIV/AIDS and 500,000 children have been orphaned by the virus. There are few medical facilities and high rates of water related diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and cholera. Half of all children have stunted growth from malnutrition and there is a high infant mortality rate of 78 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Economic inequality is a massive issue in Mozambique, with the wealthiest 10 percent of the population earning 39 percent of national income, while the poorest 10 percent earns just 2 percent.
Although primary school enrolment reached 95 percent in 2010, half of all students fail to complete up to grade 8 and only 7 percent graduate to secondary school. Most children are forced to work alongside their parents in subsistence farming rather than completing their education. Only a third of adult women are literate, compared with 64 percent of men.
Cyclones and flooding in 2008 left 87,000 people internally displaced and 660,000 in need of emergency food and medical aid. Thousands of homes and nearly 1,000 square miles of crops were destroyed. Droughts, the global food crisis and high fuel costs continue to pose a threat to the livelihoods of the 80 percent of Mozambicans completely reliant on agriculture.
Despite Mozambique’s desperate situation, strong economic growth has led to some improvements. HIV/AIDS prevalence rates have fallen from 16.5 percent to 11.5 percent, infant mortality has dropped from 201 in 1997 to 78 deaths per 1,000 live births and the World Bank claims 3 million people were lifted out of poverty between 1996 and 2008.
Caritas Australia in Mozambique
Through our 3 local partners Caritas Australia implemented 3 projects in Mozambique in 2010/2011. A total of $326,114 was spent on projects covering a variety of issues including Water and Sanitation, Food Security, HIV/AIDS, Support to Orphans and Vulnerable Children, and Advocacy Initiatives.
Snapshot of our recent work
- Caritas Australia has improved access to safe drinking water and food security to internally displaced people, orphans and vulnerable children, people living with HIV/AIDS and their carers. We also provide training in agricultural practices, home based care, sewing and embroidery for OVCs, and HIV/AIDS and other health issues in Namaacha and Radio Tecnica, Mozambique. Caritas Australia has introduced psycho-social and emotional support to our existing program of nutritional support, after school tuition and skills development for vulnerable children. The project has proved effective in protecting children from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence.
- The Integrated Rural Development Program has dramatically improved access to clean water and safe sanitary facilities to 2,500 people in Chokwe, Mozambique. 10 water points were rehabilitated, 25 latrines constructed and 6,500 families taught about safe hygiene practices.
- Caritas Australia is supporting Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) through Trocaire Mozambique in their PESOD (the Portuguese acronym for District, Economic and Social Plan and Budget) program. The aim of the program is for representatives of the three FBOs (Catholic, Muslim and Christian Council of Churches) to take part in the process of preparation of the District Economic and Social Plan and Budget. This will allow more pro-poor sensitiveness in the allocation of resources (human and financial) to areas of concern to the most vulnerable people that may improve the geography of inequalities in Mozambique. The project intends to contribute towards governance from human development to human rights perspectives where people’s rights are respected, allowing them to live with dignity and have a say in decisions that affect their lives.