Alto Molocue

Last week I traveled with two colleagues from the office to the northern province of Zambézia, where IBIS’ education programme is based – more specifically in the district of Alto Molocue. Let me just say that this was a completely different experience from what comes to seem as urban, cosmopolitan, hip and happening Maputo. This is what I could call the “African experience”!

Okay, maybe I should clarify that there were no lions or giraffes; I did not meet any tribal people and I also did not see anyone fighting a crocodile or a snake (Fortunately the most extreme experience in that regard was an invasion of ants in my room, but my very savvy roommate handled that situation efficiently with insect spray).

However, a few of the things I did see were:


Women and men walking elegantly in the side of the roads carrying bricks, wood, food or big buckets of water on top of their heads without spilling a single drop…

People meeting under the shade of a tree...

Children bathing and women washing clothes in the river…

… and with soulful music playing from the car radio while you are being tossed around in the four wheel drive that’s having a losing battle with uneven dirt roads in the rain, this scenario is perfect for the beginning of a great romance with rural Mozambique. - And in spite of many difficulties that the population in these areas face, that I am not looking to play down, I do feel that some level of romantization is very valid, not only considering the beautiful sceneries and details you meet when you take an extra look around, but also due to the interesting and inspiring people I got to meet during my stay. The next few postings will be about this visit.



The trip to Alto Molocue was in connection with the visit of a donor who finances IBIS projects in two rural schools in the district. We went on several visits to one of these schools, located in a remote area called Murrovoro, but we also spent some time in the small town of Alto Molocue, where IBIS has an office and has supported several activities over the last years.

 

Something that really caught my attention was the social awareness of the children and young people I spoke to in Alto Molocue town. It is very clear that there have been efforts in the area to strengthen the civil society and to create a consciousness about rights, something that is particularly visible when it comes to the rights of the individual at a more personal level - and when I say visible I mean in the discourse you meet when talking to people, but also literally visible as you can spot t-shirts everywhere promoting children's rights, protecting yourself from HIV/AIDS, the fight against domestic violence, etc.

'Girls' power to
...report [abuse]
...say no
...choose their own future'

'Promoting and protecting childrens' rights' 
(t-shirt from the 'Children's Parliament')



On one occasion, during an event at the town's playground, two 12-year old boys approached me and asked me how human rights and children's rights are viewed in my country - their question definitely took me by surprise! Thinking of  Denmark this is not really an issue I am used to discussing in the same way as they are (meaning: how do I actively protect my rights on a daily basis), since it is something that is mostly taken for granted or maybe discussed in more abstract terms - and at least there are mechanisms that can react if these rights are not respected. These children's concerns are very practical and relate to learning that children have the right not to be beaten in school, the right to speak their mind and not to experience sexual abuse, etc. Sometimes I do wonder to what extent children are able to understand what all of this means, but nevertheless there is definitely a drive and a significant motivation to try to create more opportunities for themselves and other children.  

Of course this awareness also needs active steps from authorities, as the children's capacity to take action is very limited, but I am still impressed and interested to see what this new generation will do with this empowerment to speak their mind and if the discourse of rights can become more than rhetoric.

If you follow the link below, you will see 12-year old Jessica reciting a poem she wrote herself. Jessica is one of the children that attends the literature club at the Alto Molocue Community Development Centre (supported by IBIS) who all very bravely shared their poetry with us. (A rough translation of the poem is in the description of the video)

 Link to Jessica's poem

Happy Children

As an intern my responsibilities are related to fundraising and especially communication – an area that is quite new to me, but that has already given me exciting challenges and that I am eager to continue working on for the next few months. One of my tasks will be to produce a few short films that reflect IBIS’ work in Mozambique, and a few weeks ago I already got the chance to experiment with this, when I went to visit Centro Criança Feliz (“the Happy Child Centre”). Criança Feliz is a centre in the outskirts of Maputo – a very poor neighbourhood called Ferroviário das Mahotas – where children from the area can spend their free time before or after school and get a proper meal every day. IBIS supports this centre through a local organization.

Criança Feliz receives around 100 children every day who go there regularly to get help with their homework and participate in different activities, such as drama classes, sowing, using the library and learning IT or just playing with the adults or the other kids. 

I spent a whole day there, talking to the people who work at the centre, taking pictures (practicing on IBIS’ new camera which has many, many more functions that what I am used to) and filming interviews with children of different ages. It was so uplifting – and exhausting – to be surrounded by really energetic and curious children.

You can tell that many of them have a rough life in different ways – some have poor health, others have lost their parents or are forced to live apart from them for different reasons, but children are children, and I have found that it takes more to take away their curiosity and positive view of life.

Many of the kids I interviewed told me that what they do best is playing with their friends. At first I thought this is a very modest answer – at least if you were hoping they would tell you how good they are at sports and that they want to become basketball stars in the future, or that with their talent with mathematics they dream of becoming an engineer – but thinking about it, it is definitely the best answer one could get from a group of children who otherwise have to grow up and take responsibilities way faster than other children.


 

Drama class