Top 11 pics of 2011 (post 4 of 9: roofless school)
In March of 2011, our team set out on a project that appeared to be pretty straight forward and would really help a nearby community provide more consistent education to the younger children.
In a village just a few kilometers up the road from my house sits a 2-room school house built by the Portuguese Catholic mission before independence. For the past few decades, it has had no roof. That really puts a damper on education during the rains, or during the hot sun for that matter. Usually in Africa a large shady tree substitutes for a school room and, personally, I don’t see a problem with that. But when you’ve got a school that has been built but just lacks a roof and a few tidying up issues, it seems like a simple thing to remedy that can go a long way towards providing a better level of education.
This image is from our initial visits to the school when we got a quick tour and saw what the work would entail for us: purchasing tin sheets, nails, a few bags of cement, encouraging the community to cut down some trees to act as supporting beams for the roof…
We got to work in short order, combinaring with the Department of Education so this could be a joint project with their official oversight. Within a few months, the roof was up and it was starting to look like a real working school again. But then the winds came and, on one particularly gusty day, the tin was completely ripped off once again.
Was this school cursed, the spirits engaged in a battle to keep education at a nearly non-existent level?
We chalked it up to the fact that the roof hadn’t been finished completely and just wasn’t as secure as it should have been. The second issue came from the indigenous trees which were so bent as to make the tin sheets difficult to nail down properly.
And so here we are early in 2012 and eager as a team to just get it done! This February, we hope to see a renovated school that can attract a live-in school teacher even (she currently walks from town each day).
Top 11 pics of 2011 (post 3 of 9: Cundaje)
During rainy season, a LOT of folks in our area relocate temporarily to a land where the soil is more fertile and the rains come just a bit earlier. It’s only a half-days walk away but, as it is on the other side of the small mountain chain, it can feel a bit like a world away.
It’s a place referred to in general as “Chigulu”. This sign indicates which way to head for two of the areas within the larger Chigulu region.
I got my first chance to visit the area while out biking on an exploratory trip with Shawn and Janet in March of ’11. It was the day (only one so far; exhausting but rewarding it was) when we successfully completed a 50+ KM visit to a number of villages and chiefs we had heard about but never came across as they are more than just a bit off the beaten path.
In this image, a teen boy of the Yawo tribe pauses on his way towards Cundaje to watch three white folks (azungu in Ajawa, brancos in Portuguese) bike by. Foreigners like us are a rare sight and people usually don’t know what to do with us other than simply stare. My favorite, though, is when family members grab the youngest child around and thrusts them toward us as the child screams in fright at our sheer horridness.
Cundaje, Mandimba, Mozambique
Cure Brochure
In my previous post I mentioned the shoot I did at Beit Cure Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. I got word last week that the private patient brochure has now been printed (to drum up some more patients… and coming soon in Portuguese!)
I’ve attached below scans of the pages that use some of my pics from the shoot.
above: top right photo (surgery in process)
above: all photos except the patient testimonial
above: the “friendly and supportive surgical staff” image
A visit to CURE Hospital Malawi
Late last year, I had a run-in with my pellet gun as I was attempting to repair it. The tip of my left index finger was severed and I needed a bit of help to get it cleaned up and properly fixed. Enter CURE Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi. During my overnight stay and operation, I was highly impressed with the level of professionalism, cleanliness and interest in helping each patient by providing spiritual guidance too!
A year later, now in October of 2011, I find myself there again as my daughter needed to have a strange skin growth checked out and surgically removed. What better time to offer my skills and help the hospital promote their excellent private services? Here’s 15 of my favorite images.
Guest interview: Connie Wragge of PhotoMission & her visit to Ghana
Back in April, I made an unexpected trip to the U.S. to help out my family and spend time with my older brother who was critically ill in the hospital. As God saw fit, he got better and was released for further recovery making my time so much more happy than it could have been had matters continued to spiral.
While there, I had a coffee with Connie Wragge, founder of PhotoMission, an online stock photo agency with a unique focus that you’ll find out more about in this interview. (I’ve been a member of the site for several years now, but only recently was it refashioned into a more professionally-geared site.) Connie had just returned from a trip to Ghana and was eager to share her experience of Africa with another American who could relate a bit more than most.
I asked Connie to paint for us a mental picture of her vision behind PhotoMission, as well as share some of her favorite images from Ghana.
After I gave my life to Christ, God planted a deep desire within me to see other people give their lives to Him. It wasn’t long after I made the decision to follow Christ that this happened.
I’ve been involved in evangelism all my life and have participated in various kinds of outreaches here in the US and abroad. I’ve initiated and led Bible studies for small groups and have encouraged people I know to be bold in building relationships with non-believers.
I am an American with a home base in Philadelphia. During the time God was growing my faith, He was also preparing me to become an artist with a camera. God took my professional interest in photography and gave it a spiritual twist late in the summer of 2001. As I was sitting in worship I found myself being challenged by the words in Romans 13. Then the pastor asked a question that seemed to be directed squarely at me. The question was: what was I doing to prepare for Christ’s return. By the end of that service I knew that my life was taking a dramatic turn in terms of every experience I had ever known in getting the Word out to a hurting world. It was on that Sunday that the vision for PhotoMission came together.
At the time I had been a photographer for 16 years. I had worked with photographers and having been captivated by the creative side of photography, I had devoured entire books on the subject. All the while I was living the ordinary life filled with daily routines. But again, that all changed ten years ago. In those few Sunday moments the pace of my life accelerated from average Christian to spectacular Christ follower. I took hold of what God had planned, committed to obey Him and ran with it.
How did you first get interested in photography?
Like many moms I wanted to document the childhood of our two daughters. I did a great job at that; and at one time I thought about becoming a wedding photographer.
What types of images do you enjoy most creating?
Photography, for me, is a God-given talent. I think it is for every professional Christian photographer who understands that creating an image is not about boasting in your work or about comparing yourself to other photographers. It’s about service to the King. When I place what I do in the context of that understanding then any composition I’m bringing together through the lens of the camera is God-led.
So to answer the question…I don’t have a distinct preference for certain types of images but I will say that if an image I take conveys a better understanding of God’s world than if I hadn’t captured it, then that is meaningful to me and it validates the work I do.
Tell us about PhotoMission. What is it exactly?
PhotoMission is a Christian stock photo agency that serves as the visual resource for the Church. We provide images related to missions and outreach, creation and its conservation and social issues which run the gamut from A to Z.
Most of the images are one-of-a-kind which reflects the value of the photography found in the Gallery and which makes PhotoMission a one-stop resource for the Christian community.
In your wildest dreams, what would you hope that PhotoMission will one day accomplish or become?
I believe that with obedience comes blessing. I have followed through on my understanding of what God wanted done…to provide an online resource of visual excellence where the Church can come to find support for the expansion of His kingdom and the unfolding of stories which accompany that growth.
The other part of what I believe God calls PhotoMission to do is to witness to lost people who come to the site. For this reason we post the testimonies of all the selling photographers online and provide the means to review and store, as well as purchase, multiple images taken by them. By combining content in this way the user remains engaged for a longer period of time…and I’m hoping he takes away something that he can relate to in his own life.
But to return to your question…one day…I want to hear God say something to the effect that everything I have committed to do or have done where PhotoMission is concerned has made a difference.
This spring Connie traveled to Ghana where she served with a Ghanaian church planting team. She shares some of her impressions and experiences in the following images. (Please note: the following images are Copyright 2011 Connie Wragge, PhotoMission. Use only with permission from the owner.)
Pouring fuel into the van. We’re still a distance from our destination, and the temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 38 Celsius.
This was the scene at worship taken at a church plant in Ghana’s Northern Region in March.
God’s Word is light, hope & salvation. The image is special because it shows a Ghanaian pastor reading to Ghanaian believers from I Timothy. The village where it was taken is isolated, and on most Sundays the pastor has to walk there over long unpaved roads to reach the people.
I see in this photo a woman who takes pride in her appearance while her face reflects the uncertainty of her daily routine. Will she earn enough Cedis to buy food?
The streets of Accra are filled with despair, at least in my cross-cultural understanding of the word. I saw this scene repeated throughout the city and it broke my heart. The people who know Jesus, smile. Those who don’t, wear hopelessness on their sleeves.
Life in Africa is about survival. This photo shows maize being taken off the cob. Notice the size of the ears.
Water, the most basic of all human needs, is like gold to many people living in Ghana…and throughout Africa. Pumps are dug 70 feet down, and this only happens when there are enough organizations and funds to make them a reality. When there is not enough water, the people drink what liquid they can from coconuts. Other water is often contaminated and unsafe for consumption.
False prophets and deception are found throughout the country. This portion of a street poster in Accra testifies to fake foreign pastors who arrive to prey on the people, take what little money they have and then leave.
In parts of Ghana animism is still popular and until Christian pastors reach the people with the Good News, there will continue to be idol worshipers. The top portion of this idol is filled with a small amount of water and is believed to bring good luck to the family who owns it.
I took this image after Sunday worship, showing an infant being carried on the back of his mother. I have to wonder what the future holds for babies like this one. Like nations in the west, Ghana is now facing changes to its laws that are contrary to biblical decrees.
Private Cottages on Lake Malawi
Malawi is famous for its lake and rightly so. Sometimes called “the calendar lake” because it is roughly 365 miles long by 52 miles wide, it is a huge tourist draw and Lake Malawi was recently voted by Yahoo Travel as the most beautiful lake in the world. But with a lake the size of Lake Malawi, it only makes sense to recognize that the waters do vary from place to place.
So, too, do the establishments set up to cater to lakeshore visitors. In our years as residents in the region, my family and I have moved further away from staying at the traditional spots like Nkopola (our most frequented of the three), Sun N Sand (stayed there once or twice and that was enough for us) or Club Makokola (too expensive for our pockets, but great for a day trip and I just love the lush garden grounds). Livingstonia near Salima was a treat back when we visited in 2005, but a real drive for those of us based closer to the southern lakeshore. (For Lilongwe residents, it’s a great spot though I’ve nothing to say of the cheaper alternatives in that area.)
Most commonly now for my family of 6, we make plans with another family or two and choose a private house to stay at. We cater ourselves (usually putting the house staff to effective use as they’ve been able to handle whatever we throw at them) and thoroughly enjoy a quiet, relaxing few days away at the lake.
CHOLE COTTAGE was our choice for holidays in December 2009. It is privately owned by a Malawian family based in Lilongwe. We simply had to email them from their website and deposit money into their bank account. While the website isn’t impressive, we had a great time in a secluded location just 1/2KM north of Sun N Sand where we remained undisturbed. Nice features of the house included the DSTV (we don’t live with access to TV so it was nice to catch up on programs), a small swimming pool, grassy yard and wraparound porch.
Ulendo Travel manages the unique CONFORZI LAKE HOUSE, set in a bay near Nanchengwa Lodge (another favorite spot of mine when I want a cheap place to stay en route to and from Lilongwe to my home) several KM north of Sun N Sand. The house is spacious and airy, the grounds large enough to allow the kids to run around until they exhaust themselves. But of course, grassy lawns aren’t what one goes to the lake for. The water is warm, but we felt a bit on display as the locals use the lake area below the house to clean their kitchen dishes and bathe. (When I go to the lake, I want privacy). Another downside to Conforzi was the unpleasant odor that would hit us from time to time as the swampy area next door would.
Our favorite spot on the lake, but the most difficult for us to reach, is called THE BEACH HOUSE. Located several hours north of Lilongwe (70KM south of Mzuzu) in the village of CHINTECHE, this spacious house boasts our favorite beach on the entire lake. Residents of the area (mostly Tonga) are friendly and mainly keep to themselves, unlike the Chewas or Yao around the southern regions (who are friendly, but have no qualms about staring incessantly and invading a Westerners space… just telling it like it is, folks). Owned by photographer/publisher Frank Johston of Cenral Africana, the house includes a well-stocked library that invited me to read book after book (on Mozambique, Malawi and more) during the duration of my stay as I moved from the beach, to the large back porch, to the comfortable sofas, to my bed set in a large, airy room.
Head chopping
Yesterday was a Tuesday which, for me and some colleagues, means we are out and about on bike visiting friends in the village. We learned about a sadaka that had already started (basically a memorial service for someone who has died, usually celebrated 3 days and 40 days after death). I ran into a number of friends who are chiefs in nearby villages and one thanked me for the photo I had taken of him back in January. He commented, however, that his head was cut off above the eyes.
I remembered vividly the photo. It was one I really liked and it made me start to wonder: do they see photos the same way I do? My coworker mentioned after that comment that a friend of his in another village I gave a photo to also said the same thing. Something to the effect of “yeah, it’s a really nice photo… except for the fact that my head is cut off.”
This is an eye-opening insight into the minds of those I live amongst. I have already learned that, to give someone a black-and-white copy that I’m particularly fond of, doesn’t necessarily mean that the recipient will understand that it’s a “classic” look. They want color, hands down, every time. Heck, my own mom (an American with artsy tendencies, though more of a “country crafts” style) doesn’t understand the point of black-and-white.
I’ve become a celebrity of sorts in nearby villages, in part due to the whole photography thing. Kids run after my bike yelling “ajambule!” (take my picture). Grown men practically are begging me to take their photo because they know they’ll not be charged for a memorable keepsake they’ll be proud of for years.
Or will they… even if their head is chopped off?
From an impromptu photo session at the sadaka, as I succumbed to the pressure being put on me by numerous chiefs all wanting a “one-one” shot of themselves (as opposed to being in a group). Some non-chiefs snuck in, but what am I to do?
anamed training
anamed is a German organization that is dedicated to spreading their simple message about growing and creating natural medicine. I was first introduced to it through a doctor friend from Germany who agreed to come out to Namwera, Malawi back in 2006 and give an introductory workshop to a group of home-health care workers acting as caretakers to those in the late stages of HIV infection.
I’m reminded of them once again because, as providence would have it, I just happened to sit down at dinner next to the founder of anamed: Dr. Hans-Martin Hirt. I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya earlier today in preparation for our company’s conference and am staying at a missionary guesthouse run by AIM. People come and go and breeze through the place like the fresh, cool wind that moves freely through the non-screened windows (malaria not an issue here). We chatted over dinner and he answered an important question of mine: where can I find anamed resources in Portuguese? The answer, as it turned out, is all to simple. From the Catholic printers in Balaka, Malawi.
Drawing from the website, anamed
helps communities and health centres in the Tropics to become more self-reliant in preventing and treating the most common diseases and health complaints.
By producing training materials and running training seminars, anamed enables local people to produce highly effective “Natural Medicines”.
In this way, in even the poorest communities, many lives are being saved, even AIDS patients are strong and healthy, and health centres are becoming less dependent on imported medicines…
As a result of the work of anamed, we are delighted to report that, especially in Africa:
- many have been healed of malaria.
- the lives of many AIDs patients have been dramatically improved with artemisia tea and moringa leaf powder.
- diarrhoea is no longer a killer of young children, where anamed anti-amoeba tea is known and used.
- many healers and doctors and nurses no longer mistrust each other but are working together.
- “Natural Medicine” is providing the means for many people to work constructively together in the community.
- some of the poorest people are being helped to improve their standard of living.
And so, for you Dr. Hirt, here are some file photos from 2006 I hope you can use. Keep up the great work!
Dr. Alex training a home-health care group in Namwera, Malawi
Dr. Alex teaching how to create natural medicines using local materials
Dr. Alex showing us how to rub on a salve used to help the skin, especially for those suffering with AIDS
workshop attendees try out a skin salve for themselves
"Natural Medicine for the Tropics" by Dr. Hans-Martin Hirt
Unyago 2010
In the small village of Kwilasya, just up the road from Mandimba, my family and I were invited to share in the celebration surrounding the “coming out” of the unyago initiates: boys and girls trained for 2-4 weeks in matters dealing with culture, respect, manhood and womanhood.
The boys are taken to a grass-walled area outside of the village, where they undergo circumcision and learn all kinds of secret stuff. The girls usually remain in the village at an elder’s house where they too receive instruction on what it means to be an adult. For these children, most of which several years away from adolescence, it is the biggest day of their lives. Wedding days (the many that will come, in most cases) will pale in comparison.
friends and family come from far and wide to party and dance throughout the night, after the initiates are released, and long into the next day
as a sign of respect, initiates are instructed not to smile or laugh; they are to remain silent as visitors drop some coins in front of them, or maybe a coke… several children must hold up cloth or money in front of their mouths so as not to show their smiles hidden below
Estamos 2009-2010
I recently put together a disc of photos for the Mozambican NGO Estamos. It was fun to look back and reminisce about some of their projects I visited, or concerts of Massukos I’ve attended over the past two years where Simao and Feliciano, through melodic song, make it sound just so appealing to use a latrine properly and never forget to wash one’s hands.
Massukos at Concert, Mandimba 2009
Massukos at Concert, Mandimba 2009
Mandimba 2009
Concert in Mandimba 2009
Feliciano dos Santos of Massukos playing in Mandimba, 2009
Promoting condoms in Sede de Mandimba
Visiting a fish farm near Mandimba
Fish feeding time near Luelele, Mandimba District, 2009
Tyler filming Massukos, Feira de Saude, Lichinga, July 2009
Massukos playing at Feira de Saude, Lichinga, July 2009
Feliciano dos Santos of Massukos playing at Feira de Saude, Lichinga, July 2009
Massukos playing at Feira de Saude, Lichinga, July 2009
Estamos projects in Che Issa village
An Estamos employee drops off rocks for cement toilet slab production
Village children eagerly help by pushing out every last stone
Toilet slabs being produced in Issa village
An Estamos truck in Che Issa village, Mandimba area, Mozambique
Workers complete a few more toilet slabs
Workers prepare to fill in another frame with fresh cement
Filling in the frame
Inspecting previously finished slabs
Sand waits its turn, a key ingredient in cement slab production
An Estamos activist visits the local water pump provided by Estamos
Women are usually the only ones who use the water pumps as it is their gender-given role to carry water for their family
A woman collects cool, clear water
Client MaMa: empowering women
I recently joined Francesca of MaMa on a tour of a local project to empower women in need of a bit of financial sustenance. We visited a project where about 8 women were given a garden and are in the process of lovingly tending it daily in hopes of receiving just a bit of gain to take care of their families.
Client MaMa: a group of women eager to show off their new garden
Client MaMa: banana stalk pieces protect young seedlings
Client MaMa: young plants tended with care
Client MaMa: a happy garden club member
Client MaMa: an elderly garden club member
Client MaMa: striking a pose while watering the garden
Client MaMa: another garden club member
Client MaMa: tending the garden
Client MaMa: empowering women
Client MaMa: Visiting Lissiete
Client MaMa: Reviewing the area where a waiting house for expectant mothers will be built
Client MaMa: School adjacent to the health post in Lissiete
Client MaMa: Lissiete's health post
Client MaMa: Fixing the pump in Lissiete
Client MaMa: Elias replacing a broken piece on the town pump
Client MaMa: a medical worker in Lissiete
Client MaMa: maternity worker in Lissiete
Client MaMa: Pharmacist in Lissiete
Client MaMa: Dishing out the meds, Lissiete
Client MaMa: Visiting Lissiete
Client MaMa: exam room
Client MaMa: birthing room, Lissiete
Mozambique Island Calendar
In early August, our family visited Mozambique Island for the third time. Each time, we leave amazed at the history and beauty of the island. My personal blog has tons of pics and history of the area from our family holiday, though you’ll have to navigate over to the end of July/early August to find the images.
I recently created a calendar for sale through RedBubble that we plan to use for Christmas gifts (oh no–don’t tell!). I took so many shots that it is really hard to narrow it down to just a few favorites, so including below copies of the pics from the calendar will at least let me share some memories from our time on Ilha.
Carts of Coca Cola
At the Slavery Memorial Garden
My traveling companions ordering lunch
Biker in front of an old soap factory
Streets of Ilha
Oldest European building in the southern hemisphere
Chapel in Macuti Town
The view from atop the fort of Saint Sebastion
At the Slavery Memorial Garden
Cannons at the fort
Girl at green mosque
Coral beach adjacent to the fort
Students take a break from class
Vasco da Gama stands sentry in front of the island museum
Fishing (f)or pictures in Meponda, Mozambique
Stress in life seems to come in cycles and right now we’re in one of those cycles rather than out. Living in Africa certainly brings its own unique set of stresses, though in America we certainly weren’t stress-free. Planning time to get away is critical and life-giving and a few weeks ago as our family camped out on the beaches of Meponda in northern Mozambique, we hadn’t a care in the world…for a few days at least.
For me, Meponda presents not only sun and sand, crocodile hunting at night and wakeboarding by day, but a unique lakeshore opportunity for a photoshoot of Yawo faces. A few years back I went into the village and shot some images I still love dearly. I think it was a time when my D50 was still new; when I was still shooting in JPEG instead of RAW. (See my “Faces of Meponda” shots on RedBubble) So I was a bit eager to see what I could do this time with my D90 on RAW setting. I had already spent the night before trying, mostly in vain, to capture the excitement of being out on an inflatable boat with a spotlight looking for killer crocs. Perhaps the morning would be better?
I awoke earlier than the others and borrowed a bike to get to the top of town to a place where I could easily see each bay on the beach stretching out before me. I snapped a few pics for our host who wanted a shot like this and took a couple of snaps along the way back home. I was eager for a cuppa and thought I was done with the mini shoot. But then on the beach, just down from our camp, I saw a group of guys working hard at pulling in their fishing net that had been laid down the night before.
I walked over to them, greeting them in the Yawo language, and made a decision right then and there to set down the camera and take a place in line heaving the heavy load into shore. It was a conscious decision to not try to document it, but instead try to experience it. Why? I don’t know, but let me tell you this work was not easy. As I grabbed, time and time again, the rope attached to a net in the water, I became quickly exhausted. But refused to give up (though I’m sure they weren’t expecting me to do the entire job). One fisherman sat on the sand behind me, taking the slack rope and rolling it into a neat pile. Two men were ahead of me, closer to the water, and we all worked together in rhythym. Someone hummed a traditional tune of some sort and I smiled inwardly at the good naturedness I find all around me in Africa. Singing can go a really long way to making the tedium of life closer to enjoyable.
Eventually, we had to move closer to the same number of guys who were on another end of the rope further down the beach. And, panandi panandi (little by little), the net did come to shore with the night’s catch. It was a mix of a strange blue fish, brilliantly colored, and smaller varieties that added little to the color palette. The guys expertly separated the fish from the net and threw them into a makeshift hold on the sand while I struggled to get the fins unstuck from the net.
Finally, at the end, I grabbed my camera after asking permission to take their pictures. And, for my troubles, I was offered a fish (though I declined). My reward was already obvious. I had had an experience I won’t soon forget and felt that I understood just that much more about the life these fishermen lead along the shore of Lake Malawi. We shared moment in time, and I still got some shots. This time, with more of a connection because we were now friends. I wasn’t just some white stranger who walked up and shot pictures.
Hope Through Development: Life in Rural Mozambique (a photo essay)
During the months of September and October this year, I joined an online class began experimenting with something I’ve always enjoyed but didn’t really know anything officially about: documentary photography. Telling a story through the lens of a still camera. I’ve read up just a bit on some of the greats of the genre. I’ve explored websites like SocialDocumentary.net, Vewd, The Black Snapper, Matt Powell, Photo360, and more…
In the rural northern Niassa province, residents of the border town of M*ndimba rush to greet Mozambican President Armando Guebuzza who is on the campaign trail and up for reelection. Mozambicans stake their hopes for development on the government, hoping their lots in life will improve through various public-sponsored initiatives.
Frelimo party faithfuls excitedly drum up support for their candidate around the bairros of town. M*ndimba is a town in transition, still small yet with big plans for the future. Hope is alive yet often falls squarely on the shoulders of outside influence.
Thirty kilometers north of M*ndimba, Ya*o villagers outside of the government post of Luelele gather to watch a youth group perform a skit warning against the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Misinformation runs strong. Sexual practices remain unchanged. Every household is deeply affected.
Young children head to school early in the morning in the town of M*ndimba. Primary education is free to all, but many children still do not attend, especially from the Muslim Ya*o tribe who have traditionally shunned government education due to the belief that they may be “Christianized”.
By the time children reach adolescence, the future can seem quite limited. Most will become subsistence farmers like their parents. Boy/girl relationships become the foremost concern for many. Here in the government post of Mitande 35KM southeast of M*ndimba, the national Radio/TV network films a community program aimed at youth. A local singer, donning a Mozambican flag, entertains while secondary school students dance.
Over 140,000 living mostly in rural village settings must rely on the government to send volunteer workers to them for vaccinations and well baby checkups. This mother of twins receiving a vaccination is fortunate to have a healthy set as twins are often mistaken by traditional birth attendants as full-term pregnancies long before their real due date.
Development projects often come and go depending on various projects financed by foreign aid groups. Fish farming, like this project run by the Mozambican NGO Estamos, offers involved villagers a chance to grow fish for sale or as a source of much-needed protein.
Tobacco offers the main source of income for many in the area. Mozambique Leaf Tobacco, a part of the Philip Morris corporation, collects tobacco grown by villagers and processes them in grades where they are then packaged and shipped by truck to the factory in Tete (western Mozambique). Cash crops come and go depending on the market, but tobacco remains a stable crop…at least for now.
Foreign aid has the potential to do great things, but plenty of well-intentioned programs fall flat and even destroy aspects of local culture and practice. Free condoms can be found throughout Africa, but it is nearly impossible to find men who use them as the belief is strong that materials added to condoms actually make people sick. Many condoms end up in use by children as soccer balls, balloons for play, or even skullcaps. M*ndimba is a hotbed for the transmission of HIV/AIDS as truckers moving between Malawi and Mozambique frequently stay in resthouses overnight.
Mozambicans wait patiently for development. Some will not see it in their lifetime, but hope still remains. The nation is working hard to rise up from the devastating aftereffects of two recent wars. This cloud of dust kicked up by the President’s helicopters during his campaign stop in October represents the reality of how people are willing to withstand the dirt and grime in hopes that they will get to see what they want: job creation, better healthcare and education… a better life.
