A warm cup of Milk & Cartoons...

ALG Friends, 

who remembers as a child to cuddle up watching cartoons with a glass of milk? That small cup that would warm our soul before bed and keep our belly full! 

And at school intervals.. that little packet of milk that would give us the energy to learn and also play?

March at ALG is the Month of the Milk. We want to give these moments to the 3-5 year olds at our pre-schools in Mozambique. 

Together, we can get these little ones to remember their childhood this way too!

March at ALG: The return of the Milk Moustaches!

Donate Now! https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algmilk2013/95587

In S.Luisa after the floods...

Education

After the floods most schools in the city of Chókwe began the classes in the last week of February, since there were no conditions to restart the classes. The classrooms were full of mud and due to the loss of documents they did not have the lists of students per class. Because so many days of classes were lost we decided to have classes on Saturdays to recover the lost classes and to avoid affecting the children.

In Santa Luísa because we missed only one week we decided to alternate the Saturdays, i.e. one Saturday with classes another without. With the school snack made available by The ALF Flood Emergency Fund there is no absence of students and they do not abandon classes after the break, which used to happen before with some students. We have been helping the children in the study room project to reach a positive result.

School Plot

Currently the cleaning of the whole school yard, including the plot, is in progress. After the floods the school was transformed into a forest so now the yard and the plot are being cleaned. At the same time we are also plowing in order to sow, in the next few days, different kinds of seeds.

Health

As it would be expected after the floods there were some diseases due to the food available at the time and also due to the poor quality of the water. But thanks to the work of Sister Esperança the situation of the children was kept under control up to now.

Income generation

After the floods we visited the moms that have income generation activities and we realised that the products they bought in January to be sold was lost during the floods. Also part of the money raised from the sale of products was used to buy food. Since there was no way to go to Chókwe, or to any other place to buy more affordable items, the food was bought locally and because it was scarce the prices were very high.

While March is the Month of the Milk at ALG, our Emergency Fund for the ongoing floods crisis is still open

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

A little milk tale from pre-school ESC...

"Last year, the children in the preschools Flor da and Santa Carina drank their little cup of milk and half a bread so willingly an with such appetite…You makes you wonder how much you can offer with such little

I should't even tell you this.. but oh well! 

Once over the week-end, one of the children that were having classes under the almond tree, in S. Catarina, came to knock on the door of the volunteers. He wanted to play! I decided to give him a glass of milk with a bit of chocolate powder and some cookies. Well… I can only tell you I had never seen such a thrilled child with one glass of chocolate milk!! He drank and ate very slowly so the moment would last for longer. "Do you like it?" I asked? And he nodded with his head saying yes, yes…and enjoying that tiny comfort so much.

But unfortunately it was a little luxury he could not have every day…"

From Virginia F., a portuguese volunteer in Chongoene with UPG Portugal in October 2012

Donate Now! https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algmilk2013/95587 

Floods - New ALG Video just in!

ALG Floods Video (click here)

Check out the new ALG video on the floods that devastated our intervention area in Chokwe and Xai-Xai in late January, affecting thousands and leaving hundreds of families homeless.

While March is the Month of the Milk at ALG, our Emergency Fund for the ongoing floods crisis is still open

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

Why Milk?

Why serve milk in school settings?

• It includes saturated fat which is good for growing children.

• Milk provides calcium which helps to build strong bones and teeth.

• It provides vital vitamins, protein and riboflavin to support growth and aid the immune system and nervous system.

• It is one of the best drinks for hydration, supporting brain function, concentration, memory and creativity.

• It provides a great boost between breakfast and lunch, helping children to be ready to learn.

• Taking a break to have a drink of milk provides important time for children to socialise and learn skills such as manners and sharing.

Source: https://www.pre-school.org.uk/about-us/nutrition/940/milk-facts

Donate Now! https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algmilk2013/95587 

Update on the Floods Emergency Fund - Local Testimonial on your generous donation…

"Dear A Little Gesture

How are you all? Here daily life is taking its normal course again. 

We were allocated 3 new teachers, two of them recent transfers. Alongside with Sister Maria do Ceu and the ALG Technician Silvestre, we have 16 people in total as our staff. As to the students, we will be doing the updated lists this coming week so we have exact numbers of school attendance.

The soup and the children's [flour-based] meal has brought generalised happiness, you should see them eating with such joy, throwing nothing away. We managed to feed the whole group of 650 people until now with a daily meal, 3 times soup and 2 times the children's meal. For the soup we used all the leftover vegetables from the students in culinary class that were kept in the fridge.When the stock wear out we will need to figure out the next step, but we will work something out! Once again we thank you the funds transferred of MZN30'000 [c.£770], we will get through a month of meals. Next week I will call JAM Life [who has been supporting the school with food] to see when their support starts again, as they lost all the supplies they had here between the floods and the looting afterwards. But there is hope.

Classes are running normally, we will only need 3 additional saturdays to make up for the programme missed while the school was flooded. We were so happy with the support of the congregation offering us school supplies for every student, grouped as a family or by household.  We ran the numbers and we are now covering 416 families. We received supplies for 300 but we stretched it fairly for everyone. With the second transfer of funds sent by ALG for emergencies and with some third-party donations 

of food, alongside the usual sponsoring programme [from UPG Portugal], we managed to distribute our usual basic monthly basket for all the children. Hunger is prevalent here after the floods so everyone received 10kgs of rice, a bag of 12.5kg of corn flour, 5 kg of beans, 5kg of peanuts, 2 litres of oil, 2 kgs of sugar, 2 kgs of salt and 2 pieces of soap.

This coming week we will give children under the ALG/UPG programme some tea, pasta, sugar and if we manage to find it cheaper a chicken (ours were taken by the rain waters) and also some soap. We are sewing new school uniforms so they have a pair of presentable clothes for school, as many of them have lost everything. 

Yesterday and today children had their religious course as usual. For the catholic families in the region who which so, over 200, we have a weekly timetable with classes. This year, in October or November, we will host the christening of over 30 students. Among them we have several children sponsored by ALG's sister charity UPG Portugal such as Catarina, Benilda, Azelia, Rafael, Noemia, Andrisse, Leneo, Teresa e sandra, Almira and Marian, if they continue to study and behave properly. It will be such a joy for them.

As to school supplies, all the children received from UNICEF or from PLAN a school bag, pencils, journals, rubber, rulers, compass, etc. You cannot imagine their excitement as all 650 of them received one!

As soon as I gather all the photos from all these events, stored in father Miguel's camera, I will send them to you. Our ALG photo camera has not been working since the floods and needs assistance.

As to the house of local girls Elsa and Leonilda, our Silvestre is giving all he can to recover it, I shall keep you posted.

I will stop this or you will bore of all these news, as life here is now a constant flow of news… A big hug and gratitude for all you have done for the children and for ourselves.

With tenderness, from your forever friend

Sister Lidia, Vicentine Missionary in Manjague, Chokwe"

March at ALG: The return of the Milk Moustaches!

Donate now! https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algmilk2013/95587

Post Floods, Silvestre reports on his fantastic Youth Committee...

A new encouraging testimonial from Silvestre, our hard-working technician in SLM...

"Good evening,

I hope you are all well over there.

Over here life is moving slowly; always with our eyes set on the river, since the flow of Limpopo river increased and according to the water management technicians the water is being drained from South Africa in a controlled way in order to avoid problems.

We hope this information is true and God help us to avoid more disasters like this one.

In the report I mentioned the Young People Committee that I created last year and did not go through. This year just because I was here in Chinhacanine, trying to escape the flood in Chókwe, I managed to mobilize the youngsters to make this project come to life to develop this community. The flood victims were encouraged to rebuild in this safe area, and in a few days this project is becoming a reality. Now many people in this community have plots. Together with my team I’m still dividing the area distributing the land for the flood victims. 

Four days ago the district administrator came here to assess the work done and he was very pleased with the improvements. Yesterday he brought two territorial planning technicians from the District and two from the Gaza Province to help us to divide the plots for the families affected by the floods. And today we were also visited by a few military people who made themselves available to assist us in every way possible.

At the moment this Committee is composed by 15 young students and is called Hluvuka Chinhacanine Youth Organization (which means “Develop Chinhacanine”). The Committee’s mission is to work for the development of the community, in which the youngsters are included, as well as:

1. Develop the Chinhacanine community in general and, afterwards help other young district people to develop their own communities;
2. To organize an event that aims to end the violence against women, informing which institutions act in supporting the victims of violence;
3. Promote an activity (sports/culture) for the improvement of women’s self-esteem, promoting their value and respect in all phases of their life cycle (childhood, adolescence, pregnancy, maternity, menopause and old age);
4. Promote a campaign to stimulate young people to search for their socioeconomic development through education and work ;
5. Organize a discussion forum, jointly with the Community Council and the Women’s Social Action Centre, to enlighten the population about the public services and current legislation in force to defend women;
6. Promote a conference (preferably held by a man) to raise the awareness of men regarding the sharing of domestic chores, responsible parenthood and intolerance for any kind of violence towards women and children;
7. Disseminate HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases  fighting and prevention methods;
8. Build improved toilets in all the Chinhacanine community households, since they have been using the streets to relief themselves, this has triggered the appearance of cholera and other diseases;
9. Study, elaborate, analyse and propose actions, projects, policies; strategies and guidelines that allow the integration and participation of children, adolescents and young men and women in the educational, social, environmental, political and cultural processes;
10. Ensure the sustainability of the Committee implementing income generation projects to benefit their members  and the Committee itself; 

And a lot more...

I hope to be able to provide more information about this dream that is coming true!

Thank you!

Silvestre Quenha"

Our Emergency Fund is still open!

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation herehttps://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!        

Mozambique Floods - Testimonial from Sister Lidia at S Luisa Marilac

Week of 4 - 8 february

"The waters have lowered here in Manjangue, before they did in Chokwe town, and immediately we started cleaning up. Sister Maria do Ceu led the efforts and as soon as the families started returning she tried to include some mothers and students in the operation. It is very hard work as everything is covered in mud and clay. Clothes and papers are difficult to use again. Much has been saved: computers, photocopiers, student documents. Everything left at street level was taken by the waters. As the children escaped from the waters, many of their school uniforms, clothes and school material are gone too. There is a terrible hunger situation now. With the support we received we bought food supplies and we are supporting the children in worst situation, HIV patients and the ones left alone with elderly grandmothers withot any confitions.

Sister Esperanca (a nurse) is giving assistance to the patients, in their homes and in Brother Licinio, at the CRPE Orphan Centre. They are taking their medication correctly, she controls it very well. We will see everyone's recovery, everything will take a while. But we are very united and with courage. now we have to work on solidarity to be able to start life all over again. 

I feel very sorry for Sister Neusa at SVP school. The water in that area (S. Vicente Paulo-Chokwe) was really too much and arrived with no warning. There was no time to salvage anything or stock in higher places. Cleaning is still in progress as the water took a long time to lower. We will keep you informed as to the evolution within the next few days. We are faithfully hoping that situation will not get ugly again. In fact the news we keep received sometimes are contradictory as to a new opening of the dams.

As to S. Luisa Marillac, when we start school again, we would like to start feeding a daily soup to the children. They have no food at all nor means and the money to buy it with. The only available place for “shopping” and were some goods are available is in Macia (60kms away). All is gone with the floods.

United in our prayers and mutual help"

Ir. Lidia

Life beyond the Floods - ALG Literacy report

"In 2012 we launched the ALG literacy courses with 49 women and 2 men in Banhine. In Conjoene, a total of 70 people joined with just 7 men in the group. A fantastic initiative for local women emancipation! Out of this total, only 6 gave up, 5 of them in Banhine. 

We can therefore conclude that the course was a success last year as assiduity was very high and only 14 people did not pass the final exam (8 Banhine and 6 Conjoene).

The teachers have reported an immense pleasure in teaching this group. They have shown good aptitude for numbers, with the basic maths classes very well received and the students showing good progress in addition, multiplication, division and problem solving. In portuguese classes, the official language, they have evidenced high interest in writing and reading, with slower progress in interpretation of text.

Both the teachers and us monitors evaluate this initiative in a very positive way, as it is very difficult to transform people who did not know a thing of how to read and write to become literate. It is very satisfactory as we did not expect the programme to be such a success and it went well beyond our initial expectations. By the end of the year, the students, who having grown up uneducated normally only speak the local dialect changana, were already discussing in portuguese in the middle of the classroom. 

One issue to report was the balance between their studies and their home chores - during crop season there was a noticeable increase in the number of students skipping classes.

The district educational authorities, who partnered with ALG on this project, have reported to be very encouraged by the results so far. Putting an adult in literacy course and giving them an opportunity to change his life for the better.

In accordance with the local school calendar, the literacy course started on the 11th february and finished on the 16th November, with exams running on the 20 to 26 February. There were some delays in the process such as the procurement of books and exam sheets. Otherwise the ALG investment was very positive and encouraging."

by Issufo, ALG monitor to the literacy courses in the Conjoene and Banhine area

While we wanted to update you on life beyond the ongoing floods crisis, our Emergency Fund is still open

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!