Reporter in Mozambique

Here's a picture of me interviewing Albertina in Mozambique for the women's empowerment article I was assigned to write, which is as follows:

"Wearing a brightly colored batik cloth skirt and a donated sailor hat to guard her eyes from the sun, Albertina walks through the sandy roads of her community, proudly pointing out each of its 8 water points. As president of her community’s water committee, she knows what a struggle it has been to get a functioning water system in place.



Albertina Cemende lives in Kongolote, a community of 30,000 people outside the capital city of Maputo in Mozambique. The population is made up of a wide range of ethnic groups from all over the country, many speaking different languages. The community is so diverse because many Mozambicans moved here seeking government protection during the 16 year long civil war, or, like Albertina, after the devastating floods in 2000.

Like the majority of women in Mozambique, Albertina, 43, has never been employed outside of her home, although she was educated through 10th grade, longer than many women in this area. Her husband, formerly in the military, is now also unemployed. In Kongolote, 60% of the population are unemployed and live off small plots of land that can barely sustain the average number of 6 children per family. Banding together on community issues such as water and sanitation helps build cooperation in an area composed of people of different religions and languages from all parts of the country.

CARE began urban water and sanitation programming in Kongolote and 5 other areas around Maputo in 1998 with thegoal of connecting communities, the municipal authorities and the government-contracted water company. CARE teaches people in the community about the importance of clean water, offers training on water system management and sanitation practices and helps the community form a water committee. The water committees, mainly composed of women, serve as the link between their community and the water company. Albertina says, “CARE taught us how to take care of the water system, and visits our community often, listening to our concerns and trying to help us.”

Albertina has been the president of Kongolote’s water committee since 2004. Elections for committee members are held every two years with the whole community, a CARE representative and a municipal representative in attendance. Albertina was recently re-elected for another term. Community members explained that they were waiting until she became very old and tired until they would let her quit, with one woman stating “If we don’t have her as president, we won’t have water.”

Albertina knows why she has been such a successful leader. “A skill I have that has helped me with this job is that I am strong, even with the men,” she explains, laughingly but also proudly. “And I’m not scared of hard work. It was difficult at first. People didn’t respect me, so I had to gain their respect. When they saw that I was doing a good job, and that there was always water in the community, they started respecting me. And now they don’t want me to leave!”

Before Kongolote had access to clean water, people dug wells and drank the untreated water, which causes diseases such as typhoid, cholera and dysentery. Today, Albertina and her community enjoy access to 8 different clean water points reaching more than 320 families. She is proud of the accomplishments of the committee. “We can really see a difference in the health situation of people living in the area – water from the traditional wells are full of bacteria and cause a lot of diarrhea, which can be fatal to children and people who are ill.” The committee is also working to close the wells to prevent children from falling in or from drinking the contaminated water.

Albertina has 2 sons and 2 daughters, all in their 20’s, and 3 young grandchildren. She knows how important clean water is for her family’s health, and is working to educate other mothers in the community about the importance of clean water and good hygiene for their children. She uses materials developed by CARE to train others, especially women, on system management as well as hygiene and sanitation. The committee decided to be responsible for facilitating trash collection in the community as well, recognizing it as an important part of ensuring good sanitation.

Although Albertina is satisfied because people in the area where she lives now enjoy access to clean water, she points out that there is still much progress to be made. With 8 public water points in a community of 30,000, only 25% of the population has access to clean water, signifying a large number of people living in absolute poverty in many areas of Kongolote. Even for those who do live within proximity to a water point, collecting water, a task that women and girls are responsible for, is still difficult and time-consuming, ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours each trip. And at 50 cents a jar, the water is very expensive for people in poor communities to afford all of their water needs, which could require filling the jars up to 5 - 7 times a day, depending on the size of the family.

“Right now we are trying to get other water sources and lower prices. It’s a real fight, but CARE’s support helps give us the power to negotiate with the municipality.” Despite the challenges, Albertina views her relationship with the water company, contracted by the government, as a good one. “They always respond when we need repairs. But then, they should – I’ve never been late with a payment.”

Albertina has become a strong force for change in her community. Besides her leadership on the water committee, she is also president of the Kongolote Women’s Group, a cooperative implementing programs for women and advocating for services for the community. Programs include training women to be midwives, teaching them to gain income by raising chickens and petitioning donors for sewing machines for small business development. She lists other issues that the women’s group is trying to address, “There is only one primary school – the children have to go far away to the city to attend secondary school; there is no hospital or health center, even though there are a lot of sick and elderly people living here; there are no phone lines.”

When asked why she spends so much time devoting herself to these issues, Albertina states, “CARE’s training helped motivate me and helped me see that even women can do things to change the community for the better. In Mozambique, the women really struggle. We get the water, tend the fields, clean the house, take care of the children, sell things in the market, and cook over the fire. At night I try to go to education classes. So we are very busy, and we don’t yet have men helping with the responsibilities of the home. Maybe someday. I would like the women in the United States to help push the women in Mozambique to become stronger.”

“I am proud of my two daughters – they have learned to be strong. One is studying in South Africa and the other is a teacher. And I am one of the lucky ones because my husband supports my dedication to this work. He knows it’s what I have to do.”