Health, education and solidarity are transforming lives in the communities supported by ESMABAMA through practical initiatives carried out in partnership with the Associazione degli Amici del Mozambico (AMO).
In the health sector, AMO funded the provision of a modern thermal ablation device for the Mangunde Health Centre. This equipment is essential for treating cervical lesions and preventing cervical cancer. On average, four to five women require this treatment each month, making this support both timely and highly significant for the community.
Before the equipment was installed, many women had to travel around 50 kilometres to Muxúnguè to access treatment. The long journey often forced patients to abandon their care because of transport difficulties. Today, women in Mangunde and surrounding communities can receive this essential treatment closer to home, with greater dignity and improved access to healthcare.
Strengthening medicine supplies in health centres
Beyond the thermal ablation device, the partnership between ESMABAMA and AMO has also strengthened medicine supplies in the health centres of Estaquinha, Barada and Mangunde. Essential medicines, including Quarten, ceftriaxone, ampicillin, co-trimoxazole and paracetamol, have been supplied to support healthcare professionals and improve medical services for local communities.
However, the absence of a dedicated health project remains a major challenge for ESMABAMA, limiting its ability to respond more comprehensively to the needs of health facilities.
Education: Amélia’s dream shines again
The partnership with AMO is also changing lives through education. In rural areas, many young people struggle to continue their studies after completing secondary school because of financial hardship.
One of them is Amélia Timóteo Fernando, a 21-year-old from Chibabava and a second-year Nursing student at the Catholic University of Mozambique. The daughter of a farmer and orphaned by her father, Amélia had to suspend her studies in 2024 because she could no longer afford her tuition fees. Thanks to support provided through ESMABAMA and AMO, her dream has become possible once again.
“After completing Year 12, I asked Sister Carla, a Comboni missionary, for help, but I stayed at home for a long time. Later, in 2023, I enrolled at the Catholic University of Mozambique, but financial difficulties forced me to stop studying in 2024. In 2025, with ESMABAMA’s support through Sister Carla, my dream of becoming a nurse came back to life. I resumed my studies at UCM-Beira and I am now in my second year,” said Amélia.
This support is only possible thanks to funding from AMO, which continues to respond to urgent individual needs capable of transforming lives, even without a dedicated project currently in place.
Solidarity in times of emergency
AMO’s solidarity proved vital once again during the emergency caused by heavy rainfall in the town of Machanga in February 2026. Around 500 families sought shelter at the Santa Teresinha do Menino Jesus Mission, where they remained for approximately ten days. During this period, the boarding school shared its food reserves including beans, salt and sugar with the displaced families.
In response, AMO provided €10,000 to strengthen food assistance in Machanga. The food will be purchased during the next quarter, as the boarding school still has sufficient reserves.
The National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) in Sofala also supported the displaced families and other temporary accommodation centres affected by the floods.
According to Father Gerito, who oversees the boarding schools, “This support was encouraged by the Archbishop Emeritus of Beira, Dom Cláudio Dalla Zuanna, who said at the time, ‘No one should die of hunger in this place.’ It also became an important lesson in civic education for our students, teaching them to share with those most in need, especially in times of crisis.”
