12.1 million people don't have clean water.
12.1 million people don't have clean water.
That's almost a third of the population.
Six in 10 people don't have a decent toilet.
Six in 10 people don't have a decent toilet.
That's over 20 million people.
Every day, 3,700 children under 5 die from diarrhoeal diseases
Every day, 3,700 children under 5 die from diarrhoeal diseases
caused by dirty water and poor toilets.
Our work in Mozambique
We’ve been active in Mozambique since 1995, working alongside the Government to influence their policies and ensure that essential water and sanitation are prioritised.
We share our experience, so local authorities and businesses have the skills they need to build systems that last. And we support those who are most often overlooked to understand and claim their rights to services.
Working together – with communities, partner organisations and the Government – we’re developing lasting solutions to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere in Mozambique.
Keeping wards clean – and patients safe
With running water on tap, staff at Mecanhelas health centre can wash their hands, sterilise equipment, and limit the spread of deadly infections.
Before we started working with our partners to bring clean water to communities in Mecanhelas, a remote district of Niassa province, staff at the health centre here had to make multiple trips a day to fetch buckets of dusty water from the local well.
Now, with clean water piped directly to the centre, doctors and nurses can wash their hands and sterilise instruments between patients. Janitors can focus on keeping the wards clean, rather than collecting water. And, with improved hygiene, patients can receive safer care.
“Without water there would be chaos”
Having previously worked at a clinic without water, Chief Medical Officer Dr Guilherme Tomo knows all too well just how difficult it is – but at Mecanhelas, he can wash his hands between patients, and encourage everyone to practise good hygiene.
“My baby was born here... it was wonderful”
With hot water for bathing, clean toilets to use, and the knowledge that staff were doing everything possible to keep her safe, Valeria’s experience of giving birth to her daughter here was overwhelmingly positive.
“Water is important for everybody, but [it] is vital for the maternity ward”
For maternal and paediatric nurse Nilza Domingos, the new taps have made her job much easier. Now, her team can keep the labour ward safe and clean, and she can concentrate on offering the best possible care to her patients.
Supporting girls to stay in school
Now her school has decent toilets, handwashing facilities and menstrual hygiene sessions, 12-year-old Madina can focus on what really matters: her education.
Without anywhere to manage their periods safely, many girls at Madina’s school in Mecanhelas used to stay at home every month, missing out on vital lessons – and the life opportunities that education brings.
Now, the school has a purpose-built sanitary block, complete with flushable toilets, running water, and features to support people with disabilities. In the classroom, students learn about good menstrual hygiene, sharing their newfound knowledge not only with their peers, but with their parents and the wider community too.
As a result, enrolment at Madina's school has increased dramatically.
Transforming toilets in Nampula, one house at a time
Without a toilet, Daudo and his family had no choice but to go in the bush, risking their health, safety and dignity. Inspired by our training, Daudo built his own toilet and then supported his neighbours to do the same – transforming hygiene in his community.
