Mozambique: Around 600 students are sitting on the floor at the 'Nampula Secondary' - report
Homeless people on a street of Maputo. Photo: Tasha Petrovic
Tasha Petrovic, a Grade 10 student at the American International School of Mozambique, wrote this contribution as part of a personal project during her Middle Years Programme. In order to demonstrate her research and self-organisational skills, Tasha chose to investigate the most common reasons as to why she has noted so many homeless people in Maputo.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Club of Mozambique.
Understanding Poverty in Maputo
Despite the fact that Mozambique shows tremendous potential for growth and development, poverty and homelessness still continues to be a major challenge – especially for people living in Maputo.
In order to understand the problem of poverty better, I had a closer look at its many contributing factors. My research has revealed that Mozambique is home to 27 million people (census data 2017) of whom the majority lives in rural areas and does not have sufficient access to proper food and shelter. Local NGOs and aid organisations collectively reported that malnourishment and illiteracy are contributing towards a high unemployment rate in both rural and urban areas. Another major contributing factor towards unemployment is the fact that only one in two children are unable to successfully complete their education, creating a vicious cycle of homelessness and poverty.
Homeless people a major challenge
As a result of this extreme poverty, children and adults leave their homes in search of a better future in Maputo city, only to find themselves vulnerable and worse off than before. Many children are not registered or effectively protected by the Government, which makes it easier for criminals to exploit them. These children travel from rural areas to the city – often on their own – which increase their chances of being exposed to child trafficking and abduction.
Once they arrive in the city, many children resort to begging to survive. Sarah Olds from Masana Ministry, a non-Profit organisation in Maputo, said: “Many children living in the city try to escape domestic violence and also end up living on the streets, where they believe they can earn ‘easy money’. Unfortunately, children especially have the mentality that they can earn money this way and do not have to work to survive.”
According to Olds, many families also encourage their children to beg in order to help support the family. Due to their lack of schooling, many of these children grow up unable to find a decent job and this contributes to the vicious cycle of illiteracy, robbing them of their chance of future employment.
NGOs working tirelessly to provide sustainable solutions
There are a number of NGOs that are offering various projects to reduce poverty and empower homeless people living in Maputo. One if these organisations include Save the Children Mozambique, which is working on developing child protection services within local communities. Save the Children Mozambique’s goal is to ensure that children have access to an education within their own local communities.
Masana provides a day centre for boys who live on the street, offering access to basic hygiene services, food and reading lessons on a daily basis. Their goal is to change the mentality of these children over time and to promote awareness about the harsh realities that these children face whilst living on streets.
Plaforma Makobo: Sopa Solidária is another dedicated organisation, which is responsible for educating and feeding approximately 140 street children in Maputo. They also provide soup to nearly 400 homeless people on a daily basis to ensure that they have at least one good nutritious meal a day and, through providing them with food, they encourage these individuals to join their educational programme. Through participating in this programme, these people are able to obtain basic professional skills that will enable them to work as entrepreneurs or get formal employment.
Finding a solution
Life on the street in Maputo is extremely difficult, especially for children who should be getting a proper education that will secure their future. Government should address the issue in earnest. There are Laws in place that already offer the first steps and best approach to implement a solution. Attention should be paid to these Laws, which states that citizens are not allowed to give money to beggars.
Sarah Olds from Makobo adds: “If everyone respected this law, children that have run away from home might have more reason to go back home and may have a better chance at resuming their studies to build a sustainable future for themselves.”
These NGO’s all suggest that homeless people need to be encouraged and incentivised to seek employment or to create their own jobs. By giving money to homeless people, we are encouraging begging, which is not sustainable. Together with organisations like Platforma Makobo, government and the public, we need to seek simple and timely actions to eradicate poverty and improve these individuals’ chances at a better future.
Together we can make a difference
It pains me to see the amount of people who live this way. This makes me feel extremely grateful for having a roof over my head whilst many people have to fight to survive every day. Everyone deserves to live a normal life without any suffering and access to basic human necessities such as food and education.
If we all come together, we can help others that don’t have as much as we do. My research and volunteering experience has revealed that there are incredible organisations that help homeless people in Maputo. I truly believe that the public collective also has a role to play. By taking the time to help you can make someone’s day better – even with a small gesture such as donating food or clothes. There are also many other ways to help, like offering your time to programmes that empower young people with practical skills. Slowly but surely, if we all come together and take a little bit of time to help others, I believe that we can really make a difference.
By Tasha Petrovic
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