Chinaca was born in the city of Beira, Sofala province, on October 17, 2006, where he lived with his parents. He is an intelligent boy with good behavior. He likes to play football with his friends. During his free time, he reviews school subjects and helps with the home duties. Chinaca’s father died in 2010, victim of illness, while working as a security guard in Maputo province. The boy has 3 siblings, all of whom are boys and all are enrolled in school. His mother does an occasional job as day guard at EPC Mac. What she earns is not enough to support the family. Chinaca, has suffered from ear pains since 2015 and is on medication, the rest of the family is in good health. Since the day that Cyclone Idai destroyed the city, Chinaca lives with his mother and siblings in their house that remained with 1 bedroom and an outside bathroom. There is no electricity and no drinking water anymore. His preferred subject is Agro Pecuária and he wants to become a Mechanic. During 2020, due to COVID 19, the students had to study at home, going weekly to the school to buy brochures and copies of tests. Most of the kids could not afford it.

Egna is a cheerful, very funny and intelligent girl who likes to dance in her spare time. She is also part of the cultural group of the school where she studies. Enga lives with her grandmother who watches over her and her older brother. The family supplements the small income made from working in fields by renting out 2 rooms in their three-room home.

Jamal was born in Sofala province. He is a very quiet and humble boy. Respectful and polite with all older people and a good friend to other children. When back from school he makes his homework and helps his grandfather, then he goes out to play football with his friends. He is orphaned of father who died in 2005, victim of illness. His father used to be a truck driver helper while his mother works in a nursery school. Jamal lives with his grandfather because with what his mother earns, she cannot sustain her son. The grandfather often helps her as well with rice from the field he is planting. Without help, he will not be able to proceed with his studies.

Hello everyone. I am living with my mother and my two sisters, one brother and three cousins in Vilankulo. Our house is built in local material, has two rooms and I am living in a hut outside. My father has another family with seven children and is not always with us. I like to play during my free time and to help my mother with the housework. She goes to the field to plant manioc, peanuts and beans to be able to support the family; beside the little, our father gives us to live. I love very much my grandmother, she is my best friend and I visit her 3 to 4 times a week. I am very happy and grateful to get a scholarship and I promise to work even harder. I dream to be a veterinary when I am grown up.

João was born in Sofala province. He is a playful and smiling boy with many interests. He likes to play with friends in the same neighborhood. His father died in 2012, victim of illness. In life, he was selling products at the local market. After some time, his mother remarried, but the current husband pays no attention to his stepchildren. He is making little jobs as a driver here and there and he only provides food for the whole family with his low income, while the mother plants rice to help her husband with the household expenses. As there is no money to support the school expenses for the stepchildren, João hardly can fulfill his dream of becoming a teacher.

Joana was born in Inhambane province, where she lived with her parents. She is a very quiet girl and helpful. After fulfilling her homework and household duties, she plays with her friends. She is orphaned of parents. Her mother died in 2003 when the girl was 2 months old, due to illness, and her father died in 2013, victim of illness as well. He used to be a mechanic. After her father’s death, she moved to live with her aunt that works as a clerk at a butcher. What she earns is not enough to sustain the whole family and pay the girl’s school expenses.

Hello everybody. I was born in Beira. I never knew my father. My Mom told me that he died in a car accident when she was 7 months pregnant, and when I was 6 months old, I went to live in Maputo for 4 years with my uncle. Then I came to live to Vilankulo with my Mom. My mother spends her days on the field and on the market; she leaves at five in the morning. I help her on the field as well, watering, raking and looking for wood. We are living in a one room local made house. When she had a bad day at the market, I spend a day without eating. We are lucky because we have a little well in our yard, so we do not need to carry water from far away. We help our neighbors with water too.

Hello everyone. I am living with my mother and my two sisters, one brother and three cousins in Vilankulo. Our house is built in local material, has two rooms and I am living in a hut outside. My father has another family with seven children and is not always with us. I like to play during my free time and to help my mother with the housework. She goes to the field to plant manioc, peanuts and beans to be able to support the family; beside the little, our father gives us to live. I love very much my grandmother, she is my best friend and I visit her 3 to 4 times a week. I am very happy and grateful to get a scholarship and I promise to work even harder. I dream to be a veterinary when I am grown up.

Hello everybody. I was born in Beira. I never knew my father. My Mom told me that he died in a car accident when she was 7 months pregnant, and when I was 6 months old, I went to live in Maputo for 4 years with my uncle. Then I came to live to Vilankulo with my Mom. My mother spends her days on the field and on the market; she leaves at five in the morning. I help her on the field as well, watering, raking and looking for wood. We are living in a one room local made house. When she had a bad day at the market, I spend a day without eating. We are lucky because we have a little well in our yard, so we do not need to carry water from far away. We help our neighbors with water too.