United Purpose began working with people in Mozambique in the early 1990s and improves social accountability, provides safe water and sanitation, and helps families grow enough nutritious food. We also educate on and facilitate local government interaction, to help rural people develop the infrastructure and access the public services they are entitled to.
In a country challenged by extreme poverty and poor infrastructure, communities are still suffering the after effects of Cyclone Idai, which destroyed thousands of homes, damaged crops and forced schools to shut, disrupting the education of over 300,000 children.
Then came COVID-19 and schools had to close again, including Munhinga Secondary School in the Manica province, one of many schools affected by the cyclone. United Purpose installed 15 hand washing stations and helped train teachers, board members and support staff in the prevention and control of potential contamination with COVID-19 among students. Thanks to this support, it was able to reopen in October 2020.
Dr Elsa Malambo is head of the epidemiological surveillance department of the Provincial Directorate of Health of Manica. She was appointed by the Provincial Directorate of Health to coach all training related to COVID-19 in public and private schools. During the training sessions, she explains how the virus is transmitted, what people can do to protect themselves and what steps they need to take if someone in the school becomes infected. She talks about the importance of hand washing and keeping physical distancing within school compounds as well as at home. She explains the importance of using cloth face masks, how to handle equipment safely to avoid contamination, and listens and offers advice.
In Mozambique, the process of verifying the conditions for resuming face-to-face classes in the context of COVID-19 is ongoing, and 311 of the 476 schools that teach the 12th grade have been evaluated so far, and of those, 222 secondary schools (71%) were able to reopen.
