Cashew Center and Rural Development – Itoculo

When I read the work description I was disappointed because I didn’t believe I could do those kinds of jobs (agriculture) I hated that. I couldn’t start to make my preparation during 2 weeks. I had a good discussion with my teacher who encouraged me to try, and she gave me some subjects to choose.

What I understood after was that, I could work with many other things very important for Farmers and their families. In Farmers Club is included technique improvement of soil, cultures, vegetable gardens, healthy, nutrition, malnutrition, family plan, HIV-Aids, family budget, environment, etc.

The project in Itoculo is very complex, work there is a big opportunity for everyone. This project is over all monapo district, Farmers Club works with 1700 farmers divided on 34 clubs it means 34 communities, each club has 50 members, Child Aid works with more then 20,000 families more 80 preschools, Rope pumps and cashew plantation, processing cashew nuts and a juice factory.

This project is situated strategically on Itoculo post administrative where the population is suffering from shortage of drinking water, good schools, hospital, no roads and no electricity.

What HPP is doing there for rural development is mobilizing all the population for improvement in their lives through capacitating them with knowledge as to how they can use their own resources, improvement of new methods of agriculture, using bio-pesticide, pulverizing of cashew trees and learning how to multiply them.

10 things I was good at on my project

1. I worked on Farmers Club with 3 techniques of agriculture. I helped them to organizing their plans and reports on computer and I helped them to manage the computer programs so they started to write their own reports and weekly plans; I translated their documents to Portuguese and I went with them to their areas to meet the farmers and started vegetable gardens.

2. I hade one women class for literacy.

3. One women group for sewing

4. Organizing the maintenance of the Center,

5. Taking care of the visitors who came to visit the Center or to help all my colleagues on the Center with their problems when Project Leader was not there

6. Participation in workshops about rural area development

7. Mobilizing farmers families about family planning; talking about HIV/Aids, condoms, nutrition, teaching them how to dry cassava, pumpkin leaves,

8. Translating different documents like reports and survey to Portuguese

9. To meet parents and give them some advices about sexuality and some discussions about culture issues and poverty.

10. Being friendly to everybody, meeting them in the same level and also giving women encouragement to continue to fight against women harassment.

10 things I had difficulties with

1. Snakes, I am very scared of them and we could find them everywhere around, in side latrine, shower room, kitchen.

2. To take chapa, was horrible for me. There were often too many people on those cars and the drivers didn’t care so much about people. 

3. The relationship between fathers and their children. Children are growing alone; Mothers are tired because of many things to do and many children to take care. And fathers want their rights; their behaviors are worst and children. Wives take care of them like children.

4. Polygamy. Men are who have 2, 3 wives, a few even have 5, 6 and they don’t treat them in the same way, plus they don’t educate their children.

5. Women who only buy nice capolanas and their children are almost naked.

6. Nobody helps other family members if they don’t pay in advance. Caring for each other was non existent everywhere I went.

7. Pay a lot of money to witch doctor without being cured.

8. To meet young guys without self-confidence and self-esteem.

9. Workers who don’t care if it goes well for the Center or not, because they don’t make their work or they steal.

10. To see that the women are steel behind, many girls don’t go to school because they must help their mothers. They are getting married very soon.

My footprint

I was involved in many areas but it is the things that I did that the people will remember me, and they are:

1. People who started to use the computer for first time with me.

2. The names I gave to all the dormitories and painting them inside

3. Making the kitchen bigger

4. The women who I taught to sew

5. The women who I taught to dry leaves and store them

6. The communities that I helped to find who took the money from their pre-school so they could finish the construction.

During those 7 months I tried to divide with them all my knowledge. Everybody I was involved I left something to them and I also learned many things from them too.

This period was a big school for me too. I enjoyed a lot my project and I can say that I had a very good project leader Else-Marie who gave me a lot freedom to do what I wanted to do and she trusted in my work.

My investigation period

I went to Macuse – to participate in a seminary with all farmers clubs in Mozambique during one week, about agriculture of conservation and bio-pesticides; how to make compost one example was Chinese compost.

I had a chance to participate in another seminary about natural medicine ANAMED. This seminary was very interesting for me I learned how to make medicine from different plants like papaya leaves, eucalyptus, piri-piri and other plants and fruits, and how to treat some diseases.

TO ALL DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTORS

I must repeat one more time, “LEARN THE LANGUAGE” for the country you plan to go. You will have good time and fewer problems and you can do much more and meet a lot of good people. They will appreciate and admire you more.

When you are landing on the airport try to see the best of the new country.

Your preparation in your school can never be enough for what you will see and feel. Africa is very different from your continent, air, light, night, noises, behaviors, smells. Don’t turn back when you have the first problem don’t be scared of the way they looked at you, everybody wants to know you, and say hello.

If you plan to go to Mozambique and you are a girl think about how you dress, don’t expose your self because this is a Muslim country and quite conservative.

Don’t have to big dreams for what you want to do maybe you will get disappointed, because some projects don’t have so much money or are not interesting with new ideas. Project leaders are very busy so try to use wisely the few times you meet them.

When you are arrive in your project and there is a new DI try to be nice and do the same you wish they did with you. Because some old DIs they are not so nice with new ones.

I must say that too: When You come back and make your presentation don’t call people you were working with lazy or ignorant, or Africa people are that or that if you didn’t like you project period is not only because of them but take some own responsibility too.