Tete Province Trip Blog Day 2

Adapted from Outreach Foundation Trustee Berry Long’s 2024 Trip Report

The next day, Friday, we left early to visit wells and schools. Six wells were located in the Tsangano District in the northern part of Tete Province, along some of the most rugged roads we have encountered in Tete Province. The wells were busy with women and children collecting water for their families. We asked how many families were using each well and the answer ranged from 193 to 600 families. The benefit of these wells cannot be overstated. As the villagers told us, “Water is life.” We also saw two examples of school construction being done this year. The site in the village of Monequeira currently has two three-room brick school blocks and a grass pole building being used for classes.

The principal said there were 29 teachers and 1,282 students. He thanked us profusely for the new school block and told us that, “Education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and allowing these students to achieve their dreams.” In the village of Chilezi, we saw villagers digging clay to mold bricks. They were fun to watch and enjoyed showing us the process. After the bricks dry, they will be fired and used in the new building.

Saturday morning, we visited the health clinics we built at Madzimaera and Khanga. Improvements and renovations are being made at them, including solar-powered water systems, kitchens, storage rooms, shelters for patients, and staff housing. The Madzimaera Clinic won the best clinic award for Tete Province in 2022 and 2023. It averages 2-6 deliveries per day and examines about 30 expectant mothers each day as well. It sees 60 regular patients per day, with malaria and colds being the most common ailments. The Khanga Clinic has similar statistics. We also saw new teacher houses in the villages of Caphinimbule and Nvudzi. This housing is a tremendous help in recruiting teachers for the rural villages.