General presentation ASEM 2014 Context of MOZAMBIQUE The country - - PDF document

ASEM - 10/2014

General presentation ASEM 2014

Context of MOZAMBIQUE The country emerged from a long civil war that left more than 1,000,000 victims (95% civilians) in 1992, followed by cyclones and floods in 1999 and 2001, that made more damages than the past war. Despite an impressive volume of foreign direct investment in the mining, hydrocarbons, transport and communication, and financial services which allowed a growth of 7% of GDP in 2013 (World Bank), UNDP places the country 185th place (out of 187) in the ranking Human Development Index (HDI), with a value of 0.327 (Human Development report 2013- UNDP). These conflicting data show the need to diversify the efforts and investments in the country, especially considering that the agricultural sector employs 80% of the active population but continues to be unproductive and at levels of livelihood for the rural population contributing to only 28.7% of composition of the GDP. Unemployment is calculated at 17%, while 54.7% of the population remains below the national poverty line (WB, 2014). The distribution of wealth emphasizes even more the critical situation of the rural population. Over 50% of the Mozambican population are children between 0 and 14 years of age. ASEM ASEM is an association that works to support orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC), in the area of civil rights, shelter, psychosocial support, vocational training, social rehabilitation, education, expansion to school network, and reintegration into

• society. Working with children an special attention is given to redeem the values of

girls/young women within society, their citizenship and dignity; vulnerable young women, single teen mothers, young female head of families that are living in terrible conditions and therefore are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases & human traffic. Most dwell in houses of poor construction some with lack

• f access to education and training, not able to practice any lawful trade or

livelihood. They live under psychosocial tension, high levels of stress, and as a result, their children & siblings leave home to live on the streets, some of them committing

• suicide. Girls and young women feel discriminated and without opportunities to

access education and vocational training. This stems from the absolute poverty they are living in, where they are often abandoned by their family (once they have lost their parents), and they have lost family members who ensured their financial sustainability to such things as HIV/AIDS, floods, war and droughts. Therefore, girls are more vulnerable to sex trade, child marriage and family helplessness due to lack

• f opportunity and social empowering.

Several households headed by women are engaged in small business but it appears that their business is not providing long-term sustainability, i.e. they make small business to buy food for the household and not to gain profit. These families sell

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consumables products (tomatoes, coal, etc.) with limitation due to lack of financial capital to boost their income activities. While there is no solution to fund these families, mostly composed of 3 to 8 people, poverty will continue to dominate their life and suffering, with serious health and education risks having their housing in constant degradation. Philosophy of ASEM ASEM is not just a support organization to its beneficiaries, but also a hand between abandonment and reintegration toward a sustainable livelihood. ASEM tries to ensure that the investment in a child (person) will bring fruits for them in their future. That requests a continuation in follow-up and not just “on term projects”. Once a child / young adult has the tools to proceed positively in life or having achieved the set goal, its work is successfully accomplished. Often ASEM does not have the financial security to work and the full needed support, though, the personal investment of its workers repeatedly helps to

• vercome certain situation that otherwise would have let aside. Sharing, dedication,

collaboration and invention help often to overcome the needs. “Transform impossible to I’m possible” ASEM is working in the sense to have integrated programs within the different areas

• f activities.

Different Programs Beira & Gorongosa Beira: Management of the 2 ASEM schools Educational support Vocational training to young adults Psychological support Social support (food, health, etc.) Recreational activities and extra scholar activities Participation in building up a network with local community and organization Gorongosa: In the last two years, Gorongosa district went through bombarding and political

• unrest. Our agricultural activities could not been followed up. The Gorongosa staff

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and Center served refugees until they could go back to their homes. The Center’s wells offers water to the surrounding community. Number of beneficiaries The number of beneficiary at ASEM schools varies between 3000 and 4000 per

• year. We are in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and receive students

living in extreme poverty, social exclusion and in situation of vulnerability as well as students not having been able to find a vacancy to study. It was said (Ministry of Education) that in 2014 over 1 million children had no access to school due to lack of schools or vacancy in the country. ASEM supports also children studying in other schools than ASEM. Between 250 and 500 children and young adults, receive different support like vocational training, job integration, psychological support, food and medical help, as well as defending their right in case of violence and abuse. ASEM in Beira & Gorongosa helps about children each year. ASEM VILANKULO Context of Vilankulo Vilankulo is located in the Province of Inhambane, in the Southern Region of

• Mozambique. Inhambane has a population of 1,412,349 inhabitants on an area of

68,615 km ². The Province has a tropical climate and has a largely arid inland area in the center-north of the province, with sandy soils that restrict the economic activities

• f nomadic cattle rearing and a coastline with abundant rainy seasons and subject to

frequent floods and cyclones tropical (5 over the last 18 years). The production of major cereals are decidedly scarce, compared to a national average of 1.19 t. /ha corn, in the province has an average yield of 0.64 t. /ha (FAO, 2010). This is reflected in the quality of the diet in rural areas that is classified, the latest figures available, acceptable to 54% of families at risk for 36% and very poor for the remaining 10% (FAO / WFP CROP AND FOOD SECURITY ASSESSMENT MISSION - 2010). The province offers great potential for the development of the tourist industry for its abundance of beaches and its wealth in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, such as the reserve of the Bazaruto Islands and the National Park

• Zinave. The district of Vilankulo, in the Northern Province, covers an area of 5867

km ² with a population of 143'137 people (2007 - DDS), composed of 60% of women and over 11% of households single-parent headed by women. The area of agricultural production is estimated at 65,000 ha. This area is divided into 60,000 plots of land of which 80% have less than 1 hectare, and 60% is carried out by

• women. The productions are directed from the crops grown products for their own
• consumption. A term of comparison yields of maize per hectare is limited to 0.32
• tons. Over 30% of the workforce is made up of children under 10 years of age and

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53% of them are girls (Source: INS 2000), with 60% of the population under the poverty line. Different Programs Vilankulo Cultural Centre MAJIANZA – Nhajusse (Vilankulo) POTELIC (Occupational program for children’s free time) (see PPS enclosed) Vocational training School and food support (see www.theschoolfund.org/asem) Psychological support Agricultural land BUSARA – Mahangue (Vilankulo) Planting and animal rising Vocational training Outreach Community Number of beneficiaries The number of beneficiaries in Vilankulo varies between 500 and 800 children/young adults per year. We are in collaboration with 4 schools (Primary and Secondary schools) of Vilankulo and with the community in general. Different self-sustainable Programs implemented ASEM’s goal is to implement different micro economic activities for its future self- sustainability. Existing self-sustainable activates: Vilankulo: Animal rising (chicken, porks, goats, caferial chicken, ducks) Agriculture (beans, peanuts, manioc, vegetable, fruit trees) partially for self- alimentation, partially for sale Handicraft Cultural performance (music – dance)

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Different micro projects for self-sustainability (funds needed) Pre-school (Kindergarten) – with future extension to primary school Vilankulo has an important expatriate community, as most of the lodges and tourist facilities belong to foreigners and attract both Mozambicans and others from outside the country on holiday. On the other hand, there are big companies like SASOL and

• thers working in the region. There is no school with an English curriculum in

Vilankulo and this is a key problem for which ASEM has been requested to help, as this is an opportunity for local students showing an interest in a different curriculum to acquire additional opportunities. ASEM would partner with a school like Waldorf School or one similar, so when the children move to a different country, they would have no problems with switching schools. Take away To benefit from our animal raising and agriculture production, ASEM plans to open a take away for income generating, vocational training and job opportunities to young adults. Selling point for construction material Vilankulo is in constant extension and construction. There are only a handful of shops selling building materials. The selling point is an excellent option for income generation and this project would give opportunities to young adults to have a job integration and vocational training. Transportation In all the mentioned projects and location, ASEM is functioning with one car. It is very difficult and time consuming to work with either “no private transportation” or by public transport. Each location would need at least one 4x4 pick up due to the condition of the road, as the biggest part of our activates are in rural areas where the roads are mostly sandy. The budget for the direct activities with the children (schooling, social support (food, health, etc.), vocational training and functioning) represents 1 Euro per child per day (1.2 to 1.3 USD).

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RESULTS: One example (of many) is the Legal Representative and Director General of ASEM Mozambique, Jose Castelo Valentim: The Ballad of José Castelo If you happen to drop by our offices in Mozambique, you will come to realize, once you get to talking – really talking, with the people there, that each person has his or her own story to tell. One of those people is José Castelo Valentim. Like the others, José’s story is riddled with tragedy… but it is also a unique story of hope and strength in the face of tremendous adversity. José, a native of Beira, Sofala province, was born on August 18, 1981, to Castelo Valentim and Cecilia Raimundo. In 1986, his father decided to sell their house, and the whole family left for their ‘real’ homeland – the city of Inhambane. Aside from José, the whole family moved, including José’s older sister and two younger brothers. At the time, José was only 5 years old. Two years later, in 1988, he started attending school in grade 1, thereafter, until grade 4 which he finished in Beira, due to the death of his father in 1991. In Inhambane, another child was born, and with five children to support, José’s mother decided to return to Beira. The fatherless family had to contend with the challenges of poverty, scarce education and poor health, as well as the intensification of the civil war in

• 1991. They had to try to find a better life.

However, those who made the journey back to Beira were only four family members. José’s

• lder sister had to stay back in Inhambane to attend to the process of her school transfer.

Sadly, though, she never made it back to Beira, having become a casualty of the war in 1991. José’s mother did all she could, taking small odd jobs wherever available to support her children – definitely not an easy life at all. José Castelo took care of his younger siblings at home, acting as both as a father and brother figure. Always on the lookout for a way to better her family situation, it was not long before José’s mother heard about a place called the “Center of Aunty Barbara" – that helps children in difficult situations in the area of Chipangara, also in Beira city. At the center, the children received drinking water and soup (it was during the drought and war). After coming to the center, José went home with his brothers utterly convinced and hopeful. After completing grade 5 in 1992, José stopped schooling due to the financial problems that continued to plague his family. That same year, ASEM’s Macurungo Center opened, and José began to attend in earnest along with his brothers. Here, they were able to take meals and then go home. In 1994, he and his three brothers officially started living at the ASEM Macurungo Center. ASEM then admitted their mother Cecilia as a cook at the center, and it was there that she worked until her death in 2006. José Castelo finished grade 7 in 1997 by religiously attending evening classes, as there were no more slots for students in the daytime programs. In 1998, José enrolled in the Industrial and Commercial School of Beira, studying to be a hydraulic system technician (which he did

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not like). There were no more vacancies in the course he wanted which was civil construction (building). In 1999, thanks to the tireless efforts of ‘Mother Barbara’, José had the opportunity to receive training in Business & Management in Lamego, Nhamatanda, province of Sofala, for a period of 12 months, after which he was reintegrated with his family. In the year 2000, José was admitted into the accounting department of ASEM to work as an accounting assistant. He contributed in his capacity by helping develop and implement more

• bjectives for the benefit of Mozambican children, supporting them in all their needs for

their socio-economic independence. Even in the midst of enormous challenges in his life, José Castelo worked hard to support his younger brothers, and continued to study in the evenings. In 2004, he successfully completed grade 12 (Pré-University) – proving himself to be a man with well-defined and lofty dreams, always looking towards the future. In 2006, he was appointed as Head of Human Resources and Financial Director at ASEM, to respond to organizational needs and coordinate HR activities. In 2010, he graduated in the College of Law from the University of Jean Piaget in Mozambique (Universidade Jean Piaget de Mozambique). In 2011, he was appointed Director and Representative of ASEM Mozambique. José now coordinates all activities of the association, including the preparation and submission of proposals for donors, and assessment of the sustainability of projects. Tirelessly working for ASEM, José is aware and knows by heart the need for the full support

• f children in their integration into society, as they are the direct actors who can effect

change for human development in their country. Altogether, José is responsible for 5,000 children and 150 employees. Indeed, working to obtain his higher education and, at the same time, to educate his brothers, took great effort and perseverance, with the university some 30 miles away from

• Beira. José somehow managed to travel there by bus after each day's work.

Today, all of his brothers have a university degree, and they are all gainfully employed. José says that academic challenges are a reality all students need to contend with, just like life struggles outside of school, but with commitment and a determination to succeed, anything is possible. He adds that everything in life requires sacrifice and a lot of willpower, and knowing the real reason for one’s existence. With gratitude and a big smile, José says a big ‘thank you’ to all the “uncles and aunties,” bosses, brothers, sisters and friends at ASEM, and of ASEM. Most of all, José gives thanks to his other mother – Barbara, whom he also calls a dear angel sent by God, because of the great role she played in molding him into the man he is now. Barbara Hofmann October 2014