Joana C., after the first emotions, she shares with us the feeling to know Mafita and Nazário!

The day started with downpours in Xai-Xai and I could not recall the last time I was so happy to see rain! All our chats yesterday were around the severe draught this year and that precious rain should have fallen months before..

We left towards Chokwé where Mano Hilario, our General Coordinator, was already expecting us. The recent rains (and a fair mount of street holes!) delayed our journey but we still made it into the S Vicente Paulo School at 10.30 am. Our Local Partner Sister Alice received us together with Donaldo, the young ALG Technician in the school, and showed us around the extensive SVP school compound. 

We visited the After-Class support classrooms where ALG offers tutoring and a meal to the most vulnerable children. The year 6 students were in class and the teacher explained us how important this programme was to improve the learning capabilities of these children. 

We were interrupted by the arrival of our Sponsored Child - Mafita Nazario Pedro - that Bruno and me support since 2009. I was so excited to finally meet her in person! We had lots of questions for Mafita but we controlled ourselves so she would have the chance to make her questions first. Very shy and reserved, she asked if we had children of our own, parents and siblings, and seemed to enjoy all the photos that we showed her of our family. She timidly and softly answered most of our questions. I was very impressed to hear she really enjoyed attending the Culinary course in school, financed by ALG, and that her favourite gift from us were school notebooks! She hasn’t yet decided what she wants to do when she grows up but she really likes Portuguese and English.

Our friendly chat was interrupted by te arrival of her brother - Nazario Pedro Jr - who is also sponsored by Bruno and me. They both live with their grandma, which is unfortunately HIV-positive, and they seem to be close and good friends with each other.  Nazario turned 18 this month and is currently in year 10. As his sister, he also needs to figure out what to do next. We spoke a bit about soccer - he is a huge fan of Ronaldo and Messi! - and also about the Culinary classes in school. 

By now the morning class shift had ended and the afternoon children started arriving. We gave our warm farewell to our two sponsored children and promised to keep in close touch!

We then went to visit the Technical Courses area of the school where today children were learning Culinary and Arts&Crafts. The friendly and smiling Sister Aida received us with open arms. She showed us how to small purses and wallets with recycled carton boxes covered in beautiful “capulanas” (local painted cloth) . They were impossible to resist - I bought mine for just 75 meticais (one pound)!

While we were waiting for the monitor in the Culinary class, brother Hilario took us to see the family huts built by ALG for some of the children in the SVP school. We saw the building works on the new home for orphaned sisters Maria and Delfina.

We returned to SVP to catch the culinary class midway. Today Lucilia showed the students how to make delicious fried dough covered in coconut. Everyone was very focused on their tasks and delighted to be there. And we of course could not resist and bought a package of 10 for 30 meticais. The others will be sold tomorrow.

Before leaving school, we went to check the vegetable hut. Brother Hilario showed us the seeds that were planted but that the lack of rain in Chokwe was compromising its proper development.  

We left school when the afternoon shift ended. As we approached the gate to leave school, we were greeted with so many happy waves and smiles… I could not have wished for a better godbye fors such a full and rewarding day in the wonderful SVP school.

Mana Joana, for the first time in Mozambique (testemonial)

"I was not yet able to digest the last 24 hours, so do not expect to much from my first "report". The day started early and the trip went well, and not as long as I expected it. I was very attentive all the way.  Two things impressed me - 1) the number of small children vs. the rest of the populationand 2) the amount of people spread around (living or passing by) each 5km of the National 1 Road. I clearly underestimated both.

Mano Hilário received us very well when we arrived to Xai-Xai and we went to the Pre-School Escolinha Flor da Infância. We arrived by 11. "Vovo" (Grandma) Etelvina received us and showed us the 3 classrooms. We spent more time with the 3 year olds. At first, they were very shy, but as we sang with them we got some smiles back.  The highlight of the visit for me was to see how well the children looked (including smiles) and the way they screamed out of their lungs "we are doing very well thanks to God". :-) I found them very well behaved for their age and obedient. Two children from the 5 year old classroom counted to 10 for us.

We sat down with "Vovo" and she explained to us how the school was created and how it used to be. I asked about the breakfast - milk 3 times per week and soy meal 2 times per week - and lunch - which included multiple things such as rice, vegetables, beans, chicken (once a week). Today, was soy meal for breakfast and rice with vegetables for lunch. We talked about how the price of certain produce had increased, including rise and peanut (use as basis in their food).  I asked about the children's health and what they did when they were ill. After our talk, "Vovo" showed me the kitchen, the bathrooms and the oven.

They offered us lunch but we chose to watch the children for their lunch instead and distribute the candy we brought with us. This was another high point of our visit, as I finally experienced what I so often before have seen in the pictures. I was not worried in taking more pictures. The candy were well received!

I was very impressed with Vovo and her memory and energy in light of her advanced age.  We left the school at the same time as some of the children who were heading home.  I was impressed by the ones that were going on their own, but happy to see some older brothers (also quite young) waiting for them outside the school.

From the school we went to the IT Center of Mano Arnaldo. He was very kind and received us well.  He explained to us how the IT Center worked and what the workshops were.  He said he had more competition this year and introduced his new assistant to us. The IT Center seems nicely put together and well functioning.

Tomorrow, we head to Chokwe!"

Mana Joana is Trustee in A Little Gesture UK.

A beautiful letter from João to his sponsor.

João is one of UPG Portugal Scholarship holders and he wrote this heartfelt letter to his sponsor:

"My dear Sponsor,

I’m writing to thank you for the support you are providing me and the Langa family in helping me to conclude my studies. I would also would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity of continuing my studies at University to take the Audit and Accounting Degree. 

Dear Sponsor if I can smile today is because of your kind gesture in helping my family. These words are not enough to reveal my actual feelings and to show you how thankful I am. Thank you once again Father.

I would also like to wish you and your family a Holy Easter. I wish you all the best."

João is an historic UPG Portugal sponsored child from André Pre-School and he’s another successful story of the Sponsoring Programme. After attending two accounting training courses, João entered the Guaza Muthini Management and Entrepreneurship Superior Institute to take his Audit and Accounting Degree.

In 2015, João helped ALG temporarily in our partnership with Flôr da Infância Pre-school, assisting our dear Grandma Etelvina in her administrative and management activities.

João is going to choose an after work schedule to take his degree to be able to work part-time and support part of his education expenses.

New latrine in Banhine

Now, 13 families of our UPG Portugal Sponsored children have a new latrine!

Thanks to the Cascais City Council’s generous donation in 2013 (13’760£), between 2015 and 2016, UPG Portugal applied over 3’000£ in this micro Basic Sanitation Programme, benefiting a total of 38 families in the Banhine, Nhancutse and Bungane communities.

What is a latrine?

A latrine is a basic sanitation infrastructure which several poor families, mainly in rural areas, do not have or if they do it is usually in very bad conditions. When there are no latrines the contamination of the water and ground facilitate the propagation of diseases, affecting mostly children. The children usually play in the streets and are exposed to poor hygiene environments which severely affect their health, even causing their death.

Did you know …

In rural areas the population have four times less probability of using improved sanitation infrastructures?

39% of Mozambican population does not have a latrine?

A new latrine lasts almost 10 years and in average cost 50£?

Every child have the right to a dignified living household and to grow up in a healthy environment. Little gestures like this make all the difference in our children’s lives!

We study better with a full belly!

This year in the SVP After School Support Classes we have very special news: the usual snack (bread with jam and juice) became a more nutritious and substantial meal. The great draught in the Chokwé region brought hunger and more financial strains for the families. The family farming plots have not been producing, the land is very dry and the prices of food are very high.

In the beginning of the School year, Sister Alice (ALG Partner in SVP) raised our attention towards this situation: “The South and Central areas of Mozambique are struggling with serious drought, we haven’t had rain to favour agriculture production since 2014. Today hunger is an undeniable reality. In October we expected rain since it is the time to begging sowing. But there was no rain and now we have famine. I’m quite concerned because if this continues I fear that children start missing classes, and even the after school support classes, to look for means of subsistence: selling plastics, credit and opting for other small scale commercial solutions to obtain some food. I believe the option of strengthening the snack is more viable since it would represent a strong incentive to keep children in school and secure their success in studies.”

To satiate our children’s hunger and ensure that they continue in school, ALG strengthened children’s nourishment in the After Class Support Classes. Thus, this project assumes an annual cost of 12£ per child, but we make sure that 174 children do not abandon school and continue their studies with a full stomach!”

Happy Birthday Gil!

Gil, our Uni Scholarship student, sent us a little testimonial. 

"I’m sending this email to say thank you for ALG’s help in making my dream come true. With or without work, now my dream came true and, with the Grace of Our Lord, I’m sure I will be able to achieve a job or a specialization of some sort.

I’m proud to give my testimony regarding the huge intellectual, social and academic help ALG has provided me.

I’m lost for words to describe my satisfaction and the great luck of being worthy of your trust. All I can do is to say khanimambo to ALG, khanimambo to Cascais, khanimambo to all the aunties, khanimambo to the Sisters, and khanimambo to everyone who, directly or indirectly, helped me to get to where I’m today."

Our new school Canteen!

The school year has already started in Mozambique, and do you know what that means? That the ALG School Feeding Programme in SLM is also on! 
This year we hope to finish the construction of the new school canteen, and allow the 800 children in the SLM School to finally eat lunch in a clean and decent place away from dust and protected from wind and rain. 
Help us fulfill this dream!

Donate here

EFI - The big differences

ALG met EFI and "Grandma" Etelvina in 2009 that, since 2003, met the younger children of Marien Ngouabi village in Xai Xai who roamed the streets and, under a tree taught them to speak Portuguese, counting numbers and singing. Many of these children were orphans or their parents could not afford to pay a Pre-School.

Immediately, UPG Portugal began to finance for food and education of children who gathered under a tree and on rainy days had no school.

In 2010, with the help of a private benefactor in Portugal and a land donated by Xai-Xai Hall, UPG financed the construction of new facilities for “Escolinha Flôr da Infância”, equipped with three classrooms, an indoor storage room and an office, an indoor bathroom and a latrine.

The Escolinha Flôr da Infância (EFI) is a pre-school now supported entirely by ALG and the multi-year funding allows this school to provide free education to these children, who would otherwise have no means to attend the garden for children.

Since 2009 UPG and since 2011 ALG has contributed and assisted the growth and improvement of the conditions of this pr-school, with an investment of more than £40.500 that provides to our little ones: breakfast, lunch, teachers, feeds and uniforms. Can you find the differences?

New latrines in Banhine

Today the last family latrines in Banhine had started to be constructed.

CMC donated £13’423 in funds to UPG in 2013 for reconstruction efforts in the areas affected by the 2013 floods in the Xai-Xai region. Within the scope of this recovery carried out during these two years, in the impoverished communities, in 2015 ALG developed a micro-programme of Basic Sanitation through Latrines in the region. Last year we applied £1'933 to build 17 family latrines, benefiting UPG Portugal Sponsored children in the Nhancutse community, Xai-Xai district. In the neighbouring community of Bungane we invested  £478 to benefit 6 families. This year we extend this programme to the Banhine community in order to benefit 13 families, always with funds provided by CMC for the Post-Floods Reconstruction, where we invested 1'727£.

This basic sanitation programme has the goal of improving the living conditions of children and their families, living in very basic huts and usually with no sanitation, through the provision of basic single-family latrines.

The provision of dignified housing and a latrine fulfils the Right to Housing foreseen in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It allows children to grow and live in a healthy and safe environment. Housing promotes the psychosocial development, feelings of protection, comfort and safety.

In the rural areas the population has four times lesser probability of using improved sanitation infrastructures and 39% of Mozambican population does not have a latrine. This way diseases are easily and quickly spread ending up by resulting even in deaths, mostly children.

Let’s break the cycle of poverty in Mozambique with better sanitation and health. Please support the construction of ALG Sanitation infrastructures – bring a great help to Mozambique! Please contact us for more details.

The continuous support provided by CMC (Cascais City Hall) to UPGPortugal brings hygiene, health and dignity to rural communities in Xai-Xai!

ALG Quiz Evening IV - THANK YOU

The ALG Quiz Night #4 was a success. Your generosity raised an impressive £2'255 on the evening, which net of fees results in £1'533 to be applied directly in a new School Canteen in the impoverished SLM School in Mozambique.

Sincere thanks also to host venue Rosso Pomodoro and our sponsors who donated to the raffle awards - Ikeda Restaurant, Barefoot Chic, Ro&Mo, Bobstore, Mu Arts Jewellery,  E-Fit UK, Vieira Massage, Yoga with Manu, Madelyn Puente Gyrotonic, Hydrofit - and of course our lovely volunteer team.

Your combined efforts will offer dignified eating conditions in a new school canteen to 800 very poor children who eat daily on a dirt floor in rural Manjangue, Mozambique.