BEIRA/LINZ. For us Austrians it is self-evident. For the people of Mozambique, being able to write their own name is an achievement. The ability to finally decipher her date of birth on an ID makes her eyes light up. Millions of illiterate people live in the East African country. 40 percent of adults can neither read nor write.
Especially in the southern province of Sofala, residents are severely restricted. They live in the bush, without electricity or running water. Even roads there, if they exist at all, are in a catastrophic condition. The children sometimes have to walk 30 kilometers to the next school. Many are denied education due to the lack of infrastructure.
Among the older population, the proportion of uneducated people is much, much higher. That’s why it has “Be So Free”, a development policy organization of the Catholic men’s movement in Upper Austria, launched a project more than 20 years ago. Together with the partner organization “Esmabama” Upper Austrians organize literacy courses. The project is called because lessons are taught in the open air in the bush “School under the shade tree”.
There are currently 40 teachers, who come from the region, at 28 locations. There, 1,140 illiterate people learn to write and read. The students have their state-recognized qualifications in their pockets after three years. Then they can also solve simple arithmetic problems and understand the Mozambican official language, Portuguese.
“Some graduates then go on to further their education. Successes like these show what the project achieves”says Ruth Lummerstorfer from “Be So Free”. But what we have learned also bears fruit in people’s daily lives. Almost all of them farm around their bush houses. They often sell leftover harvest at markets. “Of course, you benefit from being able to do the calculations yourself”says Lummerstorfer.
The organization “Be So Free” is now also preparing for storms that are increasingly occurring due to climate change. The construction of 13 small, sheltered classrooms is planned. (vega)
Would you like to support the project with a donation? A payment slip is included with the OÖN edition.
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Source: Nachrichten
