Mozambique Life Stories

1. Mozambique Life Stories

2. These are the stories of some very special people from Mozambique. They hope that by sharing their stories, you will come to know and love the Mozambique people and culture.

3. All these stories are wonderful examples of how: God puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, restoring dignity and respect to their lives! (1 Samuel 2:8 MSG)

4. Virgilio Amos Phiri • Virgilio was born in 1963 in the Tsangano District, Tete Province, Mozambique. He is married with 4 children. • After completing his teacher training at college in 1982, Virigilo was posted to the Maravia District where he had been working for the Mozambican Government as a primary school teacher for 6 years.

5. In August 1987, Virigilo’s world was turned upside down when he was caught up in the civil war. He was held at gunpoint, only surviving because the gun was faulty. He saw many people die in a mass shooting, and ran for his life to the mountains. He did not eat anything for three days as he fled from the Renamo soldiers. He witnessed many horrifying things, before ending up on the border of Zambia and Mozambique. To this day, Virigilo thanks God for leading him out of the danger. As the conditions were so bad, he decided to seek refugee status at the Ukwimi Refugee Settlement in Zambia. Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Refugee Services staff looked after him well.

6. In the refugee camp, people there were entitled to stay two weeks in the tents and later on they were given a plot to build a house and five hectares of land to practice agriculture production. • In order to ensure self-reliance amongst refugees, households were given agriculture tools including different types of seeds. LWF (in coordination with staff from other Humanitarian Organizations) had the main task of imparting different sustainable development skills and knowledge to the refugees. • They taught about sustainable agriculture practices, business management and administration, vocational training on carpentry, bricklaying and tin smithing, as well as supporting youth and children to continue with their education as the leaders of tomorrow.

7. This support was crucial, and Virigilo is so thankful for the positive impact LWF had on him and on the lives of so many Mozambican refugees. • Virigilo now works for Lutheran World Federation in Mozambique—in many ways living to thank those who helped him when he so desperately needed it. He is the Assistant Project Coordinator for Tete IRDP (Integrated Rural Development Project).

8. Arminda Arminda is seven years old, and lives in the Chamanculo district in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo. Chamanculo is a very poor area. Many people are living with HIV or AIDS. Unemployment is high, and there are serious health issues from lack of hygiene and nutritious food.

9. Arminda loves school. • She has many friends. • Arminda’s favourite animal is a chicken. • Her favourite colour is red. • Arminda dreams of becoming a teacher.

10. Arminda’s Dad contracted HIV, and passed it on to her Mum. Arminda was born HIV positive—she was born with a disease that there is no cure for, through no fault of her own. • When she was very young, Arminda’s Mum died, and her father went away to South Africa to work in the mines (like many men in Mozambique do). She has only seen her father a couple of times since he went away.

11. Arminda is looked after by some dear older ladies who live in Charmanculo.

12. In the beginning, life was very difficult for Arminda, but through Lutheran World Federation’s work in Mozambique, she now receives medication, and goes to school. Arminda’s teacher’s name is Amelia, and Arminda has great respect for her and all teachers.

13. Alice Filipe Hunguana Alice Filipe Hunguana turned 40 years old in October 2008. She lives in Chamanculo district in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo. In early 2003, Alice found out she was HIV-positive and started therapy at the Hospital Dia do Alto Mae. It was a very difficult situation to deal with, particularly when planning how to tell her children and relatives. She summed up the courage to tell them, and to her surprise, they didn’t discriminate against her. She believes their support has given her the strength and ability to carry on living and to confront each day as a spokesperson for people living with HIV/AIDS.

14. Alice volunteers for Lutheran World Federation Mozambique, teaching people about the dangers of HIV/AIDS, and how to stay healthy. She encourages HIV positive people to stop drinking and smoking (both problems in poor areas of Mozambique). She says they generally listen to her, and stop for a time. Unfortunately, after feeling healthier, many people take up these habits again.

15. Like everyone, Alice has hopes and dreams for the future. Alice dreams of creating better awareness of HIV amongst young people in Mozambique, as she sees the disease killing more people than anything else. She wants to save them from pain and suffering. Alice would also love to be the leader of Lutheran World Federation in Mozambique, as she is so thankful for what they have done to help her and her family!

16. Alice’s greatest challenge is working with pregnant mothers who are diagnosed with HIV, as she knows that the babies will most likely be born with a terrible disease through no fault of their own. Alice’s greatest reward with her volunteer work is seeing kids with HIV go to school and learn, just like any other children. She also finds it rewarding to be doing such positive work, and loves working alongside one of her daughters, Ismenia de Lurdes.

17. In 2003, Alice was diagnosed with HIV, and became very sick. She thought she was going to die, so she bought her newborn granddaughter a tree so that the granddaughter would have something to remember her by. She was sure she wouldn’t see any more birthdays. • In 2008, Alice was still alive and the tree now bears fruit! Not only has Alice had five wonderful years with her granddaughter, she also shares the fruit from their special tree.

18. Rosa Mastala and Julieto • Rosa Mastala doesn’t know her age—she says that few people know their age in the area she is from in rural Mozambique. Her daughter Julieto is two years old. Rosa has other children as well, but none of them are healthy. There wasn’t enough food in their area to feed everyone adequately, and they have struggled to survive.

19. When Australian Lutheran World Service staff met Rosa, she was sitting on the Furacungo Medical Post steps, holding Julieto close. • Her 10 year old son, Sogolalani, was inside the Medical Post. He had been there for over three months with severe malnutrition. When Sogalalani became very sick, Rosa carried the two children over 15km to the Medical Post, on very dry, dirty tracks. Soglalani had a bed with no mattress to sleep on, but Rosa and Julieto slept on the floor beside the bed each night. Life was very difficult.

20. Rosa dreams of good health for her family, and wants freedom from the very hard life she faces in the rural area. • Lutheran World Federation have been working with Rosa and her family to develop long-term strategies that they can implement to ensure food is available to the family all year round. Rosa is so thankful that Australian Lutheran World Service have provided the funds needed for the Health Post so Sogolalani could be treated.

21. Fatima Joao Madjota Fatima Joao Madjota is 36 years old. She is a widow with 2 children, and is a community member of Maramba village, in Sofala Province, Mozambique.

22. Fatima had been very sick for over four years. When Fatima could no longer walk, she went to the health clinic. She tested HIV positive and was put on anti-retroviral drugs. During the first days of this medication she became very thin. • When she was sick, food was a problem. The family were so poor that her mother was always struggling to feed the whole family, but with the help of the community, they managed to get some nutrients to Fatima each day. • As you can see from Fatima’s photo, the medication and help from the community has enabled Fatima to lead a normal life once again. She now can smile and is happy.

23. When Fatima sees that other people are sick, she tries to encourage them to have a test so they can get medication. She visits these people and helps them through sharing her own experience. She does not feel alone because she has contact with other HIV positive people.

24. Mudala—a village life story This is Mudala (named after his village, where his family have lived for generations). He is about 77 years old, and is married with 7 children and 20 grandchildren. He is the traditional village story teller. Mudala loves that his village has been ‘set free from poverty’ - he is proud of what they have achieved, and that his grandchildren will have a better life.

25. The people of Mangunde locality, Mudala village, were very traditional and did not welcome any new ideas that they thought might disrupt their usual way of life. Their reluctance to readily accept new ideas could be attributed to the fact that their traditional approach seemed to produce satisfactory results, although on a very small scale. • People there had lived in exactly the same way for a long time and young men and women were convinced that they would end up just like their mothers, fathers and grandparents. They believed that they could not control their future. Helplessness seemed to affect everyone in the village. As far as they were concerned, nothing and nobody could be relied on so there was complete resignation.

26. In 1996 Lutheran World Federation sent a CDA (Community Development Assistant) to help them identify their most immediate needs as well as prioritize these needs and find possible solutions. • The first meeting was organised and conducted, but there was suspicion of new ways. However, LWF staff did not get tired and continued with motivation meetings, where they had opportunity to share LWF’s vision, mission and approach to sustainable and empowering development. • More people began attending meetings and understanding that the development initiatives proposed by LWF were good for the village. They began to realise that if they wanted to improve their lives, and the lives of their children, they would need to implement some new ways.

27. There have been many positive changes in Mudala village since this time. Some examples of this include three school classrooms being built so all the children could attend school, a borehole for safe water being constructed and a credit cooperative office was established to generate small loans so people could start income projects (such as buying a maize mill, tools for carpentry, and materials for catching and selling fish).

28. All these development initiatives have increased self-respect and dignity among the members of the community, increased access to resources and opportunity for self advancement led to people’s greater control over their own lives and greater autonomy.

29. We thank God for the wonderful work of Lutheran World Federation in Mozambique. • The life-changing work continues as people are set free from poverty. God puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, restoring dignity and respect to their lives! (1 Samuel 2:8 MSG)