Mozambique
Capital:
Maputo
Population:
32.9 million
Area:
801,590
km2

Mozambique is home to more than 32 million people from a variety of ethnic and ancestral groups.

The economy here has been too weak to sustain public services like clean water and decent toilets, but things are looking up. The government is exploring the potential for trading the country's natural resources, and it has begun to tackle the corruption that has been holding it back.

Around 40% of the population lives without clean water close to home, and two thirds have no decent toilet of their own. Dangerous diarrhoeal diseases are common, and high levels of poverty make building and maintaining services difficult. The government needs support to make its commitments and plans a reality.

We help people living in poverty across Mozambique to understand and claim their rights to services. We also give training and share our experience with local governments and businesses to build systems that last. Together, we will make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone.

people don't have clean water close to home.

That's two in five people.

people don't have a decent toilet of their own.

That's almost two thirds of the population.

children under five the age of die every year from diarrhoea

caused by dirty water, and poor toilets and hygiene.

A cleaner, healthier future

In the past, we had to travel a long way for water and it was dirty. There were insects in it and during the dry season we had to queue.
Juliana Mwemedi, 45, Namarika

In the village of Namarika, diarrhoea used to be a life-threatening problem. It was normal for 20 people in the community to die from it in a year.

Juliana Mwemedi, 45, has had eight children, but Luisa, Esperanza, and Vinisto did not survive. They died from diarrhoea before they were three years old.

“In the past, we had to travel a long way for water and it was dirty,” she explained. “There were insects in it and during the dry season we had to queue.”

In 2012, we installed a pump with our local partner that now serves more than 800 households. We also built 60 toilets and raised awareness of hygiene in the community.

“There is not much diarrhoea anymore,” says Juliana. “My daughter now lives near the water point, so she can always be clean."

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