NGO history

ESMABAMA was founded in 1992, after the peace agreements that followed the 16-year civil war, by Father Ottorino Poletto and other Mozambican, Italian and Brazilian citizens, in close collaboration with the Archdiocese of Beira.

ESMABAMA was officially recognized by the Government of Mozambique with the approval of its statute and its publication in the Bulletin of the Republic in 2004. Keep reading for more facts of our NGO history.

The association is the fruit of a dream of Father Ottorino who, after being sent on mission to the province of Sofala by the Congregation of the Comboni Missionaries, saw the great suffering of the people of the southern part of the province of Sofala.

Mozambique had been plunged into a bitter civil war which lasted sixteen years. The consequences for the country and the region were devastating, so Fr. Ottorino decided to design a project which would promote education, health and agriculture. The Catholic missions of Estaquinha, Mangunde, Barada and Machanga were founded in the 1940s, but after the independence of Mozambique they were nationalized and suffered abandonment by the government during the civil war.

The ESMABAMA Association makes a strong contribution to the development of the three southern districts of Sofala Province. Primary and secondary schools, medium agricultural institutes, boarding schools, literacy centers, health centers, community assistance in public health, livestock and agriculture production fields are the result of this project in regions where there were no services at all.

NGO history father ottorino
ottorino and pietro

Father Ottorino and Pietro Ferlito (current ESMABAMA’s director)

NGO history - achievements

In the year ESMABAMA was founded, in the south of Sofala Province, children had no access to education, there was no access to health services and there was no belief in agricultural potential.

Over the years, there have been many challenges, but also many achievements, of which we highlight:

Impact of education with schools teaching up to grade 12 - the schools in ESMABAMA started by teaching basic level, previously there were no secondary schools in the southern part of Sofala Province, which was a forgotten area. Education created a dynamic in the community; those who resisted continuing their studies were inspired to do so by neighbors, relatives and acquaintances who passed through ESMABAMA;

Construction of the Health Centers that had and have a great impact on the health and well-being of the people in the districts of Búzi, Chibabava and Machanga; including the work of health professionals, where today there are already doctors allocated;

Valuing and respecting local resources, knowing how to produce and rear animals is a great driver for the financial autonomy of the populations.

school estaquinha NGO history