WALKING LESS, CAPITALIZING MORE (SCHOOL PROJECT) | NAMPULA

Makassa students seek education 13km away

The community of Makassa is located in the Rapale District of Northern Mozambique, nearly 13km from the city of Nampula. To arrive at the village, you must walk 7km from the main road along a dirt path.

Makassa, like many communities around Nampula, is considered rural and isolated. Houses are made with material that they gather from their surroundings, like branches and woven grasses.

The main activity is agriculture, however, the land is not very fertile and is quite saturated, so the everyday scenario is one of poverty. The inhabitants live mainly from cassava cultivation and coal production. The village of Makassa has no drinking water, so the water consumed by its inhabitants comes from traditional wells or small streams, both untreated.

At a social level there are a large number of divorces. As it is a matriarchal area, children stay mostly in their mother's family. These children tend to have to give more support to their mother which makes school attendance difficult and often results in school dropouts and also premature marriages.

The serious economic conditions of families have an impact on access to education. The Complete Primary School where the children of Makassa study from 1st to 7th grade has a masonry building with 4 classrooms and a room for the Board.

At the end of primary education, most students continue their studies at the Escola Polivalente São João Baptista do Marrere, at a distance of 2 hours on foot through dirt and brush paths. The St. John the Baptist of the Marrere Multipurpose School is part of a mission of Catholic priests, where there is also a hospital and two professional training schools.

This Campaign will provide:

• 15 Bikes
• Transport to remote village of Teacane in Northern Mozambique
• Spare parts and accesories (Led Light, Pumps, tools and patch kit)
• Basic training for all 15 students on bicycle care and maintenance