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"I'm in second grade now!"

The girl Juvência is standing in front of a school blackboard in Mozambique.

Mozambique: Education for disadvantaged children

Little Juvência lives with her two older brothers and her mother, Marieta, in a small, remote village in southern Mozambique. The family is extremely poor, and Marieta is the sole provider. They lack everything they need to survive, and her mother barely has time to care for her youngest child. As a toddler, Juvência is very shy, withdrawn, and speaks little.

The girl's home country is among the ten poorest in the world, and almost 70 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Thus, the life path of most children there is already predetermined: no education, malnutrition, poor health – and continued poverty.

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Mother and daughter stand in front of their house in Mozambique.
Mother Marieta provides for her daughter Juvência and two sons alone.

Juvência's path to a hopeful future

But the girl's life took a turn for the better when she was just three years old. Since then, she has attended a community kindergarten run by Terre des Hommes partner organization, "Wona Sanana." There, she receives a nutritious lunch every day. The teachers lovingly care for the shy girl and ensure that she is well integrated into the group. "I am so grateful that Juvência can go there now," says her mother. "Suddenly, my little one speaks really well, she plays, and she's making friends," Marieta says happily. The support provided by the teachers at home has also been very helpful. They involve parents in the preschool lessons and show them how to effectively support their children's learning—an important component of the early childhood education plan.

43 percent of children under five in Mozambique suffer from malnutrition. Only 47 percent of all schoolchildren complete primary school. 14,000 of the just over 19,000 households in the project region have an average income of less than US$50 per person per month.

Children stand in a circle at a school in Mozambique.
Only through education can children in need, like Juvência, escape the vicious cycle of poverty.

Juvência continues to thrive in primary school. Math and Portuguese are her favorite subjects. Her teacher, Arlindo Nhafuquelene, is thrilled with her: “Here, she is an active, helpful, and socially competent girl.” A great success! Her time in kindergarten and the support of her teachers have positively transformed Juvência's life: her academic performance is so impressive that she has a bright future ahead of her. With a school diploma, she can later learn a trade and escape the vicious cycle of poverty.