The most essential back to school supply in Mozambique? Water.

High hopes in a land of scarcity

Farsana is 15 and in the seventh grade. She is not sure if she will be able to continue her education after finishing this grade, as the nearest school offering higher levels is too far away, and her family cannot afford to send her. But Farsana has high hopes.

“I want to be a doctor to help other people,” she says. Her 18-year-old brother is in the same class, because he can’t attend a higher-level school. Farsana and her brother’s school time is in the afternoon, from 12:30 to 5:30. In the morning, they help their parents in the fields.

“I cut grass, so my parents can plant the seeds, and I help with harvesting,” she says.

“We do not have any running water. We collect rainwater during the rainy season, but it is not enough for all the children for the whole year. On a hot day, we would need at least 250 gallons of water each day for drinking, hand washing, and the latrines,” says the school’s director.

For Farsana, the lack of water is a big problem.

“It is not easy. Some weeks we have no water at all. We cannot wash our hands. We have no water to drink. We then have to go and find water somewhere in the village. It is so difficult to concentrate when I don’t have any water to drink,” she says.

Water as school supply

“If the water tank is empty, we have to ask the children to bring water to school. We have a system in place, where the classes are on weekly water duty in shifts so that everyone contributes,” says the director.

When Farsana’s class is on water duty, she uses her mother’s bucket to carry five gallons of water to the school’s water tank.

“Sometimes I find a waterhole that has enough water. Sometimes I go to the river and sometimes we have to buy it,” she says.

Addressing menstrual and other hygiene needs in schools

The school’s latrines also lack access to water, which makes hygiene a big challenge for the school and the students.

“Especially for the girls on their period, not having access to water is a problem,” says the director. There is not enough water in the school to wash the cloths they use for menstrual hygiene.

“I use a plastic bag and take it home to wash it there,” explains Farsana. Buying soap to wash the cloth is another challenge for her.

Farsana is part of a girls group at school that learns about menstrual hygiene from a CARE volunteer. She has also received a menstrual hygiene kit, which includes underwear, three washable cloths pads, and a cycle tracker.

“Before I used the traditional way, where we tie parts of our capulanas around our legs. But that was not clean or safe and you could not sit comfortably like that. Now it is a lot easier for me,” Farsana says.

Capulanas are the traditional cloth Mozambiquan woman and girls use as skirts. It is a length of material about 2 metres by 1 metre. It can either be used as a wrap-around skirt, dress or can become a baby carrier on the back. It is considered a complete piece of clothing.

What CARE is doing

Together with Farsana’s school and financial support from the Austrian Development Agency, CARE is evaluating the area to find ideal spots to build a waterhole for the school. Additionally, CARE plans to rehabilitate the water tank to increase its capacity from 1,300 gallons to 3,000 gallons and improve the rainwater collection system.

CARE plans to rebuild the latrines, making them bigger with water access and a waste management system.

“I am looking forward to when CARE finishes the waterhole,” Farsana says, “because that will make our lives a lot easier. Water is important, not just for drinking but also for hygiene and to stay healthy.