A ceasefire agreement was signed in 1992 and Mozambique is now stable and peaceful. However, severe droughts and floods have hindered development, and life is hard for the majority of Mozambique's people, who make their living from farming.
ActionAid in Mozambique
ActionAid began work in Mozambique in 1987, initially providing emergency relief to people displaced by the war.
Now we work with communities in southern Mozambique to improve food security and access to basic services, and enable people to take charge of their future
ActionAid has helped to build wells and health centres, to train traditional birth attendants, and to organise HIV & AIDS awareness campaigns where people learn about preventing and coping with the disease.
We are establishing non-formal education centres in villages, with classes for children and adults timed to fit around household and farming duties.
We are helping families to produce enough food to eat and to re-establish livestock lost in recent floods. With villagers, we are setting up savings and credit groups, which can help them invest in their livelihoods.
Salvador Macie and his family saw their community destroyed by floods.
"We lost everything... With ActionAid's help I have replaced the tools I lost and can grow fruit and vegetables to feed my family, and sell to make a small income.
"We now have access to safe water at last and there will soon be a school built in our new village."
Essential Stats
| Mozambique | Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 21.16 million (2009) | 21.5 million (2009) |
| Area | 799,379 km2 | 7,703,581 km2 |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $13.15 billion (2009) | $970.6 billion (2009) |
| GDP per capita | $621 (2009) | $44,598 (2009) |
| Human Development Index | 0.384 (2006) | 0.965 (2006) |
| Life expectancy (male/female) | 42/42 (2005-2010) | 79/84 (2005-2010) |
| Adult literacy (%) | 38.7 (1995-2005) | 99.0 (1995-2005) |
Sources: IMF, UN data, Human Development Index, UN statistics
