Religion in Mozambique
Holidays are very important to your sponsored child
and family. The most important ones have religious
significance:
More than half of the people in Mozambique adhere to
Christian beliefs. Another 18 percent of the population
are Muslim, and the rest practice other religions.
January 1
New Year’s Day
February 3
Heroes’ Day
April 7
Women’s Day
May 1
Worker’s Day
June 25
Independence Day
October 4
Peace and Reconciliation Day
December 25
Christmas
Christians are followers of Jesus, a carpenter and a
Jew from the city of Nazareth in present-day Israel.
Christians believe that Jesus is the only son of God, born
of a virgin woman (Mary) in a stable in Bethlehem. His
story is told in the New Testament of the Christian holy
book, the Bible. The Christian symbol—the cross—
reminds the faithful that Jesus died for them, for the
forgiveness of their sins. Christian holidays include
Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus; Good
Friday, which commemorates the death of Jesus on the
cross; and Easter, the most holy of Christian sacred days,
which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus on the third
day after his death.
Muslims are followers of Islam. Islam is an Arabic
word meaning “submission to the will of Allah (God).”
Muslims believe that Allah’s will was revealed to the
prophet Muhammad more than 14 centuries ago
and was captured in the Islamic holy book, the Koran
(Qur’an). Together with the Sunnah, a collection of
sayings attributed to Muhammad, these texts provide
a firm basis for religious and social life for all Muslims,
including rules for diet, dress, hygiene, and more.
Population
Capital City
25 million
Maputo
Official Language
Portuguese
Per Capita Income
US$510/year
Youth Literacy Rate
80% male/57% female
Access to Safe Water
78% urban/33% rural
Under 5 Mortality Rate
90/1,000 live births
Source: The State of the World’s Children 2014 (UNICEF)
Additional sources include the CIA World Factbook and State Department websites.
Plan International USA is part of a global organization that works side by side with communities in 50 developing countries to
end the cycle of poverty for children. We develop solutions community by community to ensure long-term sustainability. Our
level of community engagement, long-term outlook, and constant focus on the needs and priorities of children is unique among
international development organizations. Our solutions are designed up-front to be owned by the community for generations to
come, and range from clean water and health-care programs to education projects and child-protection initiatives.
Promising Futures,
Community by Community
Plan International USA
155 Plan Way • Warwick, RI 02886
1-800-556-7918 • planusa.org
The Republic of Mozambique lies on the Indian Ocean coast of southern Africa. Climates
vary by region, but generally the inland areas are slightly cooler and more humid in the
rainy season. Winter is the dry season, which lasts from April to September. The southern
areas are usually drier and less tropical than the north, with temperatures along the coast
averaging 80˚F. The rainy season coincides with the heat and humidity from October to
March, with average coastal temperatures of 88˚F. Most of Mozambique’s coastline is
low-lying, consisting of swamps or sandy beaches and backed by thin forest and grassland,
which cover about two-fifths of the country. Further inland are several mountainous regions
formed by the edge of the southern African plateau that extends into Mozambique from the
west. The vegetation of lowland Mozambique is predominantly light forest and grassland,
while on the coast mangroves grow in the swamps. Forests become denser in the higher
elevations, particularly along the border with Zimbabwe.
mozambique
Holidays
A Brief History
Almost five centuries of Portuguese colonization came
to a close for Mozambique with independence on
June 25, 1975. A 17-year civil war started soon after
independence with an internal military uprising. The
war affected Mozambicans severely, and hundreds of
thousands of people were killed. More than 1 million
people fled the country, and more than 1 million others
were displaced within Mozambique. Many rural people
migrated to the cities, especially along the coast where
the government maintained control. The country
fell into severe economic depression and, given the
disruptions to the agricultural sector, the country was
unable to feed itself. A United Nations-negotiated peace
agreement with rebel forces ended the fighting in 1992.
Even when relief food eventually flowed in after the El
Niño-induced 1992 famine, Mozambique’s war-ravaged
transportation system prevented efficient distribution
of the food. Heavy flooding in both 1999 and 2000
severely hurt the economy once more. Although
the economy has now been growing at a healthy
rate of around 7 percent during the last few years,
Mozambique still remains one of the poorest countries
in the world. It depends on foreign assistance for major
portions of its budget.
Plan’s work in Mozambique covers
four core areas, all of which are
rooted in the rights of the child:
Primary health care
Primary education and early childhood education
Children’s vulnerability to abuse and disasters
Social and economic capacities
Primary health care
This program helps to improve access to primary health
care—from supporting the construction of health
centers to opening boreholes in villages and providing
safe drinking water.
Primary education and early
childhood education
Plan works on a number of initiatives to improve access
to quality primary education and early childhood
development. We promote and support birth
registration campaigns, which provide children with
the vital documents they need to access social services
such as education and health care. Since October 2007,
a pilot birth registration project benefited a total of
37,000 children from Jangamo and Maxixe districts.
This program also supports the construction of schools,
including classrooms, offices, latrines, and teachers’
houses. Furniture and materials are also provided.
Children’s vulnerability to abuse and
disasters
This program creates child-friendly spaces and
environments to reduce children’s vulnerability to abuse
and disasters. We work with the government and civil
society to build capacity on child rights and protection.
As a result of Plan advocacy and training, a provincial
child protection network is being set up in Inhambane
province, led by the Directorate of Woman and Social
Action. Plan has also launched the “Learn Without Fear”
campaign in Inhambane, which aims to end violence
against children in schools. The campaign has received
great support from the local authorities and education
officials.
Social and economic capacities
We work to improve the social and economic capacity
of households so that they can become more resilient
to shocks—such as the loss of a job, death of a
family member, or natural disaster—and plan for the
future. Through this program we have implemented
two chicken-raising projects in Magaisa and Jogo
communities, which are benefiting 47 families. The Child
Savings (Aflatoun) project, which has been launched in
nine schools in partnership with Wona Sanana and Child
Savings International, is expected to see 1,500 children
actively participate in and benefit from the project.
A pilot early child development project is also being
launched in three communities (Ligogo, Licaca, and
Ravene) in partnership with Child Savings International.
Diet and Nutrition
Maize porridge is the staple food. It’s cooked over a fire
and eaten with a vegetable or meat stew. Maize has to
be pounded into flour using wooden poles.
Economic Security
Around 70 percent of Mozambicans live in rural areas,
where the majority scratch out a living from subsistence
farming. Maize, sugarcane, tobacco, rice, tea, and citrus
fruits are all grown.
Roads are not designed to facilitate inter-provincial
linkages nor connections between provinces, districts,
and localities. Interior roads flood and tend to be
impassable during the rainy season. Many districts,
particularly those that are poor and hard to reach, lack
electricity, telephone, and banking facilities.
Language
Portuguese is the official language in Mozambique.
It is very likely that you will encounter a language
barrier in communicating with your sponsored child,
as the majority of the children do not know enough
English to write a letter. Those who cannot write will be
assigned community workers and volunteers who will
explain your letters and help the children compose their
responses.
Here are a few phrases in Portuguese that you
might want to use in your correspondence with
your sponsored child:
Hola
Hello
Como esta?
How are you?
Muito bem
I am fine
Obrigado
Thank you
Até logo
Goodbye