Fifty years, fifty countries: Mozambique

To mark 50 years of Tearfund, we’re sharing about 50 countries where we’ve worked, celebrating God’s provision and power to transform, and praying for each of these nations. This week we’re in Mozambique.

After gaining independence from Portugal in 1975, Mozambique has made a slow and steady recovery from a devastating 16-year civil war.

But even with the green shoots of economic growth, half of the 28 million population are still living in poverty. In 2016 Mozambique was 181 (out of 188 nations) on the Human Development Index scale – which measures key indicators in a nation’s development.

Today there are still tensions between the ruling Frelimo party and the opposition movement RENAMO.

Tearfund works with five local partner organisations as well as through 1,500 local churches from ten church networks. We are also working with local churches and communities in disaster-prone regions, helping them reduce the risk and impact of disasters such as typhoons, flooding and drought. This will help more than 30,000 people to be better-prepared.

We use a process known as church and community transformation (CCT) in Mozambique – working with local churches as they empower their communities to lift themselves out of poverty. Our partner Kubatsirana is working with a local network of 12 churches promoting CCT (known locally as UMOJA) in Mossurize District. 

Fishing for hope
For years the church has been fragmented, with each local church working on its own, following its own traditions and practices.

But in 2016 Kubatsirana trained the church leaders in CCT and some basic theological courses. The churches realised the need to improve their household incomes, nutrition and food security. They set up self-help groups, through which the local churches were able to save money which they used to set up tanks for fish farming.

So far seven tanks have been built and three have already been populated with around 1,000 fish. It has led to 24 jobs being created and 860 families directly benefiting- which translates to 5160 beneficiaries. 

Net benefit
As well as the fish farming, Kubatsirana is training the church members in gardening using more sustainable farming methods. This takes place around the fish ponds.

Kubatsirana is working to transform this local church initiative into a community cooperative. This will give them the advantage of having legal status and so becoming a recognised business.

It’s hoped this work can be scaled up to other parts of Mozambique, such has been the success of the Mossurize fisheries.

PRAYER FOCUS:

• Pray for peace between government and RENAMO opposition forces, and that real dialogue and reconciliation can take place.
• Pray for the material and spiritual prosperity of Mozambique and ask that poverty will become a thing of the past in many communities.
• Thank God for the work of our partner Kubatsirana who has helped transform the livelihoods of those in the Mossurize District. Pray this work can expand throughout Mozambique.

If you would like to know more, please visit our Mozambique page. And if you've missed any other articles in this series you can find them here.