Mozambique
CRWRC has been working in Mozambique since 1993. Despite recent economic improvements, Mozambique remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with 70% or the population living below the poverty line. Life expectancy is at a low 40 years, and decreasing with the recent surge of the AIDS pandemic. To address these issues, CRWRC works with the Reformed Church of Mozambique (Igreja Reformada em Mozambique) integrating a variety of community programs to impact whole lives, communities and churches.
Fast Facts
Population: 21,669,278 (July 2009)
Area Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California
Literacy Rate: 47.8%
Life Expectancy: 41.18 years
Population below the poverty line: 70%
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalance Rate: 12.2% (2003 est.)
Gross Domestic Product per capita: $900 (2008 est.)
Religions: Catholic 23.8%, Muslim 17.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%, other 17.8%, none 23.1%
Languages: Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe 7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%, other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3%
(From the World Factbook. Click here for more information on Mozambique)
CRWRC Partners in Mozambique
CRWRC has one primary partner in Mozambique:
Igreja Reformada em Mozabmbique (IRM), Mphatso (m.PAHT.so) Synod Through the combined efforts of IRM and CRWRC God is transforming rural communities in northern Mozambique. Last year, 2,209 community members participated in the following IRM programs:
• Agriculture
IRM helps subsistence farmers increase their food production by facilitating training in compost manure production, improved crop storage, and crop diversification. As a result, farmers are improving the soil, growing more crops, and increasing their crop yields.
• Community Development
Due to the high rate of HIV/AIDS in Mozambique, communities must support a large number of orphans. Through IRM, communities are empowered to embrace and nurture orphans and enable their care-givers to provide healthy, stable homes for them. Some communities have set aside community gardens to produce food for the orphans. In other communities, care givers receive training so that they can improve their income.
• Income Generation
IRM also works with small business owners. Groups of business people come together to learn Christian business and stewardship principles, encourage each other, write business plans and access small loans together to grow their businesses. Paid up loans return to the pool to make new loans available. People proudly report being able to give more to church, help their families buy better clothes and farm inputs and pay school fees.
• Literacy
IRM hosts 27 literacy centers, where more than 598 community members learn basic reading and writing skills. IRM trains literacy instructors and provides them with teaching materials and techniques to help them strengthen their programs. Besides learning a useful skill, community members also gain confidence that opens doors for them to be more actively engaged in their churches and communities.
• Relief, rehabilitation, and reducing vulnerability to disaster
In recent years, life has become much more uncertain in many rural communities in Africa. Mozambique is no exception. Changing weather patterns are making the seasonal rains less dependable. Often the rains start on time, but then stop for several weeks leaving tender young plants to wither and die – along with people’s hopes for a sufficient harvest. Along with this is the scourge of HIV/AIDS that is decimating what should be the most productive part of the population. The ability of families to dig and plant gardens of sufficient size to assure enough food is compromised through sickness and death. Population pressure, chronic poverty, and policies that tend to discourage instead of encouraging production all conspire to reduce productivity. Through relief and rehabilitation, IRM works with communities to move toward reducing vulnerability to these negative influences. Crop and diet diversity, growing community capacity to work and plan together and improving crop storage and management all help to give communities hope and help them work with God as stewards of all He has given them.
• HIV/AIDS prevention
The Reformed Church in Mozambique is reaching out to youth, married couples, parents and pastors with important HIV/AIDS prevention training. This training is taking place as part of a USAID funded project entitled Abstinence and Behavior change for Youth (ABY). Through this project, youth meet monthly to learn about HIV/AIDS prevention, study Biblical passages, encourage each other to make healthy choices and engage in social activities like soccer matches and choir festivals. The Reformed Church is also using radio broadcasts and billboards and couples, parents and pastor’s retreats to share HIV/AIDS prevention messages with the wider community.
CRWRC Staff in Mozambique
SAMT Team Leader: Zakka Chomock
Istifanus Gimba
Prior to becoming Program Consultant for CRWRC in Mozambique, Istifanus Gimba worked for 19 years with the development departments of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) in Nigeria. In Mozambique, Istifanus will work to strengthen partners leadership and management abilities, working to empower leaders in areas such as HIV and AIDS, food security, micro-business development, literacy and justice.
Tim Bollinger
Timothy was born and raised in Minnesota. He recently graduated from Calvin College in Michigan, where he studied International Development. Studying in both Ghana and Zambia during his undergrad years, his affinity towards community development in sub-Saharan Africa now draws him back to Mozambique for a one-year internship with CRWRC.
Larry & Linda McAuley (US expat) live in Malawi
and represent CRWRC in both Malawi and Mozambique.
Newsletters from the Field
Take time to read a staff newsletter - direct from the field!
Bollinger Sept09.pdf
Bollinger_Aug09.pdf
Bollinger_Feb09.pdf
Gimba_Oct09.pdf
Gimba_July09.pdf