Mozambique

Mozambique has ten (10) provinces. Zimpeto, Machava, Matola and Boane Centers are located in the Maputo Province. Dondo Center is in the Sofala Province, Lichinga in the Niassa Province and the Pemba Center is in the Cabo Delgado Province. Heidi has a vision for establishing long-term teams in each of the remaining provinces of Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Tete, Zambesia, and Nampula.

A Nampula Center is in the works with Aguinaldo Franca as Director in a few months. Nampula, in the Nampula Province, is the home of Pastors Antonio and Florinda Tanueque who have been used to raise several from the dead.

Joao and Jennifer Wenningkamp, now serving at Dondo, are in the process of purchasing a home in Chimoio, in the Manica Province, to open another Iris base.

Mozambique is one of the larger (33rd) countries in the world with 10 provinces and a coastline of 2500 km (1553 miles, 353 miles longer than the West Coast of the United States). In square miles, Mozambique is roughly twice the size of California.

Maputo

Famous because of Delagoa Bay (Baía do Espírito Santo) where the capital, Maputo, is located, this province has a rare charm provided by the contrast between urban and rural ways of life.
The province borders South Africa and Swaziland and is very accessible.

Gaza

Gaza province is known as the "granary" of Mozambique because of the fertility of the Limpopo valley where there is extensive cereal and rice cultivation.

The provincial capital of Xai Xai is 224 km from Maputo and the nearby beach (10km) is a popular tourist destination. There are several hotel and restaurants in the town, however, the majority of tourists prefer to stay at the beach, Praia do Xai Xai.

The massive reef running parallel to the beach provides natural protection against the strong waves at high tide and forms several small pools at low tide. At low tide, the reefs are invaded by women and children gathering shellfish, which they sell to appreciative tourists.

About 145 km north of Maputo (EN 1) is the small town of Macia which is the turning for Bilene, some 30 km further. Bilene lies on the shore of a huge, 27km long lagoon of clear, brackish water and fine, white sand.

The Banhine National Park, situated between the Limpopo and Changane rivers, is an important area, protected due to its rich variety of wildlife.

Inhambane

Inhambane province is characterised by its extensive coconut palms and cashew trees. This province has one of the most famous tourist destinations of the country; the Bazaruto archipelago.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Conception is an old and imposing church, with a fine clock tower which was built by the Portuguese about 200 years ago.

This province has innumerable famous beaches, amongst which are: Praia de Zavala (11 km from Quissico), Praia de Závora (85 km south of Inhambane), Baía dos Cocos (Coconut Bay) and Praia do Tofo (22 km east of Inhambane), Praia da Barra (20 km north of Inhambane) and Pomene (174 km north of Inhambane).

The Bazaruto Archipelago consists of four islands (Bazaruto, Benguera, Magaruque and Santa Carolina). They are situated off mainland between Vilanculos and Inhassoro (780 km from Maputo). There are high quality hotels on the islands. To reach the islands it is possible to hire a boat locally, or to travel by air from Maputo and Beira or to fly directly from a neighbouring country via Vilanculos where there are immigration and customs services.

Zinave National Park and Bazaruto National Park are conservation areas.

Sofala

Sofala is one of the richest Mozambican provinces producing primarily shrimps and sugar.

The provincial capital, Beira, is built on a plain below sea level. The city spreads along the coast from the port to the lighthouse in the Macuti area.

Worth visiting are:
Largo do Município - in the heart of the city, this square is surrounded by old colonial style buildings, terraces, tea rooms and shops.
Casa Portugal - a house built in a typical colonial style. It is located near the Praça do Metical.
Casa Infante de Sagres - a beautiful house of magnificant architecture. It is found in the Largo Infante Sagres.
Casa dos Bicos - an architecturally innovative building is used for exhibitions and trade fairs. It is situated on Av. Samora Machel.

Beira’s best beaches are found between the Clube Náutico and the lighthouse. "Six Miles" is a resort situated inland about 10 km from the city centre. Here there is an artificial lagoon with islands where you may swim and pedal boats are available for hire.

For game viewing, there is the famous Gorongosa National Park, 150 km from Beira, and the Marromeu Buffalo Reserve, to the north of the province. In both areas there are restocking programmes underway.

Manica

The province is an important producer of a wide range of fruits and vegetables.

Chimoio, the capital city of Manica Province, is an important commercial centre for the trade of agricultural products which comes in from the surrounding fertile areas. Cabeça do Velho (Face of the Old Man) - the most well known feature of the city is a spectacular natural stone formation resembling the face of an old man.

Chicamba Real is an hydroelectric dam between Manica and Chimoio. It is a stunning situation with the sheered off rock forming a natural V-shape to house the dam.

About 45 km from Chimoio towards the Machipanda border there is a sign for Casa Msika, a tourist resort on the edge of Lake Chicamba with chalets, a campsite and a pool. This is the ideal place for a fisherman or an ardent bird watcher. Visitors are also invited to visit the crocodile farm nearby.

Zambezia

Zambezia is an agricultural region of extensive coconut and magnificent tea plantations.
Quelimane, the main city, is an important river port, located on the Rio dos Bons Sinais. In the city you'll find the Old Cathedral - a magnificent and austere building - and the Mosque - a modern building with ornate lattice-work at the top of the facade.

Praia de Zalala is a wonderful beach of endless white sand and is reached from Quelimane by 45 km of tarred road to the northeast. The beach is lined by dense and leafy casuarina trees.
The mountain region in the northern part of the province has extensive areas of tea plantations.
Gilé Game Reserve is a wildlife conservation area with a great variety of mammal and d species.

Tete

Tete province is well known as the location of the colossal Cabora Bassa dam and is also rich in minerals, such as coal, iron, fluorite and gold.

Tete, the main town, is one of the hottest parts of Mozambique as it lies on a plateau 500 m above sea level.

Worth visiting are:
The Tete Suspension Bridge - crossing over the Zambezi river this bridge links Tete to Moatize. It was built at the end of 1960s.
Boroma Church - about 30km from Tete, this magnificant Jesuit Church was built at the end of the 19th century.
Cabora Bassa Dam - is the second largest dam in Africa and the fifth largest in the world. The enormous reservoir behind the dam has a surface area of more than 2,000 sq. km. You must obtain a written permission to visit the dam from the "Hidroeléctrica de Cabora Bassa" (HCB) office in Tete before travelling to Songo (150km from Tete), where guided tours to the power station and dam are available.

Nampula

Nampula province presents contrasting scenery. The miombo forest alternates with the magnificent towering granite domes and peaks, a paradise for rock climbers.

The capital city, Nampula, is an inland town surrounded by flat plains dotted by rocky granite outcrops. Nampula Cathedral is a remarkable building with twin towers and massive dome.
Nampula Museum have displays of the diverse forms of art typical of Mozambican culture.

The old part of the Mozambique Island, about two third of its total area, was declared a "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO in 1992. Here there are buildings constructed out of coral, although many are in a poor condition due to the lack of maintenence in recent years.
Places of interest include: St. Paul’s Palace, The Museum of Sacred Art and The Fortress of St Sebastian.

Popular beaches are:
Praia de Fernão Veloso. Located near Nacala 80 km north of Mozambique Island.
Praia das Chocas. Near Moçambique Island, on the mainland, is a very popular beach.

Cabo Delgado

The most northerly province of the country is the home of the Makonde group of people. The Makonde are known as artists, particularly for their wood and ivory carvings.

The city of Pemba, located on the large bay of the same name, has little industrial activity and thus its natural beauty has been preserved and its beautiful beaches are untouched by pollution. The old town contains several traditional markets where you can admire the silversmiths at work on their verandas. These craftsmen transform coins into silver necklaces, bracelets and ear-rings.

Praia do Wimbe is a palm-lined beach with white sand and blue clear waters.

Ibo Island is a beautiful island and part of the idyllic Quirimbas Archipelago. In historic times, it was an important Portuguese trade post. To visit the island you can hire a boat in Pemba for the crossing.

Niassa

Niassa province is the largest and the most sparsely populated region of the ten provinces of Mozambique. It is bordered by Tanzania in the north and Malawi in the west. The largest town is Lichinga, located on the plateau of the same name. The surrounding countryside is characterised by extensive pine forests.

A visit to Lake Niassa is obligatory if you want to have a "real Africa" experience. The journey down to the edge of the lake has to be in a 4x4 vehicle due to the quality of the road, thus the lake is inaccessible to many tourists and still unspoilt.

The Niassa Reserve to the north of the province is famous for its large number of elephants.

The following information on Mozambique was submitted by Jinyoung Chung Lee

Need for Wells in Mozambique Overview, March 13, 2007

• Abbreviated Overview
• (Sources: UNICEF 2006 and Millennium Water Alliance. “Water & Sanitation Program for Sub-Saharan Africa: A Framework for Action.” Briefing Paper, August 2003)
• Economic Development

“While Mozambique’s income per capita is US$ 310, well below the Sub-Saharan average of US$ 754, the country has emerged as one of Africa’s most successful examples of post conflict reconstruction and economic recovery. Yet despite the impressive economic recovery, Mozambique is among the world’s 20 poorest countries, ranking 168 of 177 countries on the 2005 Human Development Index. About half of the adult population lives in poverty.”

Children

Mozambique’s population is strikingly young with 10 million children accounting for half of the population of 20 million. In the past, the majority of adults were decimated due to civil war, disease and movement to other neighboring countries for work. Presently, the HIV/Aids epidemic and poverty establishes for Mozambicans the average life expectancy of 37 and the under 5 mortality rate to be 152/1,000 live births.

“58% of the nation’s children live below the poverty line and orphans found with the highest levels of malnutrition are found in areas with severe food insecurity and  high HIV prevalence.”

HIV/Aids Pandemic

“Of the country’s 1.6 million orphans in 2006, more than 380,000 have lost their parents to AIDS related illnesses. As parents continue to die, the number of orphaned children is predicted to rise to 1,000,000 in 2010. Life expectancy is also expected to fall from 37.1 years in 2006 to 35.9 years by 2010.”

HIV/AIDS is the greatest threat to Mozambique’s development. There are about 1.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS. Fifty-eight per cent are women.

Need for Water Wells

“It is largely because of public water supply and sanitation that industrialized countries no longer suffer the devastating cholera and typhoid epidemics that once ravaged Europe and North America in the 19th Century.”

“Diarrheal disease associated with water and sanitation leads to 2.1 million deaths each year. The majority are children. It's estimated that 5,000 children die daily from water and sanitation related diseases.”

Water supply and child mortality are directly linked. Today, the leading causes of death in children of Third World Nations under the age of 5 are diarrhea, cholera and malaria, all of which are substantially preventable with access to safe, reliable water and mosquito abatement.

“More than 270 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to safe drinking water and 4/5 of them live in rural communities”

“Efforts to obtain fresh water place enormous strains on family members, particularly women and children, who must collect and manage the water. A survey conducted in November 2002 showed that only 35 per cent of households living in affected areas were able to access their water sources in 15 minutes. The same survey said that 25 per cent of the surveyed households were spending over 60 minutes every day to reach their water source. One 5 gallon bucket of water weighs more than 40 lbs and may be carried over distances of 5 miles or more.”

Water collection, lack of water and maternal health are directly linked. Carrying heavy loads leads to spinal deformation that can result in obstruction of the birth canal. Anemia is common in pregnant African women and the lack of water equals lower quantity and quality of breast milk, only serving to compound the severe nutrition deficiency with children.

These chores fall heavily on women and children, but particularly girls, preventing them from attending school. Furthermore, many schools have no latrines. The lack of privacy creates a powerful deterrent for parents to keep their daughters out school.”

Access to safe, reliable water provides for and facilitates an environment where children, especially girls, have access to education, identified as the most effective way to deter the spread of HIV/Aids.

For Iris Ministries, providing a water supply, play equipment for the children and a bakery for food and employment open opportunities for sharing the Gospel in a community.

February 9, 2007

Source: UNICEF, 2006, Longer and more detailed report.

Children

1. Mozambiques population is strikingly young with 10 million children accounting for half of the population of 20 million. In the past, the majority of adults were decimated due to civil war, disease and movement to other neighboring countries for work. Presently, the HIV/Aids epidemic and poverty establishes for Mozambicans the average life expectancy of 37.

2. Child poverty is a pervasive and deep rooted problem. About 58 per cent of children are living below the poverty line.

3. Pockets of high malnutrition affecting especially orphaned children is in areas with severe food insecurity and high HIV prevalence.

4. One in five children in Mozambique suffer from multiple deprivations of education, health, nutrition, shelter and other areas critical to their survival and development.

5. The under 5 mortality rate is 152 /1,000 live births.

Economic Development

1. While Mozambique’s income per capita is US$ 310, well below the Sub-Saharan average of

US$ 754, the country has emerged as one of Africa’s most successful examples of post conflict reconstruction and economic recovery.

2. Despite the impressive economic recovery, Mozambique is among the world’s 20 poorest countries, ranking 168 of 177 countries on the 2005 Human Development Index. About half of the adult population lives in poverty.

Need for Wells

About 70% of Mozambicans live in rural areas by moving to the country’s interior due to environmental consequences such as desertification and pollution of surface water. Drilling DEEP to hit natural springs that aren’t contaminated is a must.

Poverty, child mortality and lack of maternal health is severe. Child mortality could be reduced and maternal health improved with access to clean, reliable water.

UNICEF supports national efforts to improve service delivery in child health and nutrition, basic education, water, sanitation and hygiene, child protection, and social policy with advocacy and communication.

The most common causes of death for children under 5 years of age are diarrhea, cholera and malaria which are substantially preventable with access to safe reliable drinking water and mosquito abatement.

Press Release: MAPUTO/ GENEVA, 20 June 2003-In Mozambique, unsafe water and poor sanitation is killing almost 55 children every day. These deaths are directly attributable to a lack of access to clean water, proper sanitation and poor hygiene practices. In rural areas, only 26 per cent of the population can get clean water, while 29 per cent have access to latrines. Consequently, children drink unsafe water and are obliged to defecate in common areas.

Efforts to obtain fresh water place enormous strains on family members, particularly women and children, who must collect and manage the water. A survey conducted in November 2002 showed that only 35 per cent of households living in affected areas were able to access their water sources in 15 minutes. The same survey said that 25 per cent of the surveyed households were spending over 60 minutes every day to reach their water source. These chores fall heavily on children, particularly girls, preventing them from attending school. Furthermore, many schools have no latrines. The lack of privacy creates a powerful deterrent for parents to keep their daughters out school.

HIV/Aids Pandemic

1. HIV/AIDS is the greatest threat to Mozambique’s development. There are about 1.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS. Fifty-eight per cent are women.

2. Of the country’s 1.6 million orphans in 2006, more than 380,000 have lost their parents to AIDS related illnesses. As parents continue to die, the number of orphaned children is predicted to rise to 626,000 in 2010. Life expectancy is also expected to fall from 37.1 years in 2006 to 35.9 years by 2010.

Continuing Water Issues

Source: Millennium Water Alliance. Water & Sanitation Program for Sub-Saharan Africa: A Framework for Action. Briefing Paper, August 2003

1. One of UN’s Millennium Development Goals is to halve the proportion of people without access to drinking water by 2015.

2. It is largely because of public water supply and sanitation that industrialized countries no longer suffer the devastating cholera and typhoid epidemics that once ravaged Europe and North America in the 19th Century.

3. Water supply and child mortality are directly linked because the leading causes of death in children are diarrhea and cholera.

4. More than 270 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to safe drinking water and 4/5 of them live in rural communities.

5. One 5 gallon bucket of water weighs more than 40 lbs and may be carried over distances of 5 miles or more.

6. With access to community water supplies, income generating activities such as bread making, hairdressing, brick making, gardens, cottage industries and livestock raising can ensue. Also people are sick less and more productive.

7. Water supply frees up women and children to pursue education. Educated women insure more stable households.

8. In rural Africa, women often walk up to 10 miles a day to collect one bucket of water.

9. Diarrheal disease associated with water and sanitation leads to 2.1 million deaths each year. The majority are children. It's estimated that 5,000 children die daily from water and sanitation related diseases.

10. Water collection, lack of water and maternal health are directly linked. Carrying heavy loads leads to spinal deformation that can result in obstruction of the birth canal. Anemia is common in pregnant Africa women. Lack of water equals lower quantity and quality of breast milk.

11. Traditional water sources are natural breeding grounds for insect and aquatic vectors. Community water points with adequate drainage can greatly reduce insect related diseases such as malaria and the transmission of fecal-oral disease caused by human feces reaching the environment and water supply.

12. A community water supply presents an entry point for the development of democratic society, leadership, and good governance.

For Iris Ministries, providing a water supply, play equipment for the children and a bakery for food and employment open many opportunites for sharing the Gospel in a community.