Examples of our work from Mozambique

The difference of water

Essenati collecting water at the new well.

Credit: WaterAid / Jon Spaull

With the help from ESTAMOS, Essenati and her family from Bairro Mironga now have a family well. Because the region is so remote, and handpump spares so difficult to come by, they chose to build a protected well with a bucket and windlass. They dug the well as their contribution and then contractors finished the project.

Essenati explained the differences that the well has made to her family's lives. "I used to fetch our water from the Mandimba River. We used to get a lot of illness then. But now we are drinking good water. We don't get diarrhoea, but before there was a lot of diarrhoea. I use the water for everything now for my washing, cooking and drinking."

Composting latrines / EcoSan

Watch thisnew film from Mozambique about ecological sanitation (EcoSan) latrines:

Manuel Oragy putting ash and soil down his Eco San latrine.

Credit: WaterAid / Jon Spaull

Manuel Oragy is the Regulo (chief) of Muita village. His community have built five new composting latrines. Each latrine has twin pits.

While one is in use the other is sealed and the contents decompose into rich compost. After using the latrine a mix of ash and soil is added which helps make the compost and also acts as a kind of soap; as the users' hands are dirty they wash them in the separate washroom.

"The toilets have made a big difference," Manuel said. "Before we had traditional toilets with covers made of wood. In the rainy season they used to flood and collapse. They smelt very bad too. Now the pits are shallower and they are lined with bricks so they don't collapse. There is no smell and no flies which is much better."

Results from agricultural trials in the Niassa province of Mozambique show that compost from WaterAid-promoted composting latrines is hugely boosting crop yields.

The family well

Sara Sanudia collecting water from her well.

Credit: WaterAid / Jon Spaull

"I used to collect water from the swamp which was very dirty," explains Sara Sanudia from Biarra Sanjal, who can now collect safe, clean water for her family from her own well that she built with the help from WaterAid's partner ESTAMOS. "I wanted to have my own well so that I could save time," she continues, "Now I have my own well it is much better. It is much closer than before and our health has improved. I don't have to leave my yard to collect water and so I have more time to do other things. I have water to clean the house and wash the clothes - they are all much cleaner now. I can even use the wastewater to water my plants."

Community choice

Fatima from Nselema chose to build an ecological sanitation latrine.

Credit: WaterAid / Jon Spaull

Pedro and Fatima from Nselema chose to build an ecological sanitation latrine following training from WaterAid's partners ESTAMOS. Ecological sanitation latrines safely use human excrement to benefit local agriculture by creating a renewable source of fertile compost. Soil and ash are added after each use and at least six months pass before the compost is used.

Fatima explains the differences that the latrine has brought: "Before we had a pit latrine which was just a hole with wood across the top.

"This toilet is much better as it has a slab, is properly covered and there are no flies and no smell. With the old one latrine we had lots of flies which would then land on our food and make us ill. Now we don't have this problem. It is also good to have a washroom - it is much more private now."