Catembe continues to have water problems – both for consumption and for agriculture purposes. We continue to strive to provide borehole water where the need is essential. To-date we have provided 12 boreholes and trained 32 community volunteers in basic maintenance techniques. A recent analysis of water outlets within Catembe, conducted by IMAGINE in association with the District Bairro Secretaries, found that those provided by IMAGINE were all in good working order – no doubt because of the regular maintenance conducted by the volunteers.

We continue to receive requests for additional boreholes within communities but available funding is always a problem. IMAGINE partner the Municipal Department of Water and Sanitation and the Catembe District Water Commission. Any and all such requests are referred to these institutions who help us to prioritise need. All new boreholes we open are subject to a water analysis by Health officials.

Agriculture

Mid year we were pleased to welcome Rica David – our second VSO volunteer from the Philippines, who is a specialist in rural development, concentrating on agriculture. In conjunction with this appointment, we are working with VSO to produce a joint initiative which will see a larger agricultural programme arise, based on families and small communities developing their own “local” “machambas” (agricultural gardens).

As mentioned in previous reports, we have supported five associations in conjunction with the District Director of Agriculture. Now that we have Rica helping us, we have been able to expand this support to include a number of Youth Agricultural Associations and to initiate the agriculture programme at the Family Home centre. Here, each of the five families will be responsible for
cultivating one large tract of land. The remaining land will be available for use by local farmers and youth groups, who will contribute a percentage of their crop to the Family Homes.

Crops include :- maize, onions, beetroot, lettuce, sweet potato, cassava and beans.

Working with Social Action and the District Director of Agriculture, we have founded an agriculture and small animal programme in Incassane. Thanks to a Rotary donation of a borehole in the vicinity, the agriculture element has really “taken-off”. To-date we have circa 50 families taking part but this is expected to increase as the centre develops.
Crops include maize, beans, squash, peanuts and cassava.

Rica is also developing a “demonstration plot” alongside the IMAGINE office where she is growing maize, peanuts, beans, squash, watermelon and cassava.

During the year we undertook a trial programme of providing goats to some of the families we support. Each of 15 families were given two female goats – and each bairro given a male goat (hence “meetings” of male and female goats were arranged and offspring produced). After training by representatives of the Agricultural Ministry (provided freely by the Ministry), the selected families undertook to rear the goats – with the condition that the first born goat be given to IMAGINE for re-distribution to other families.

We plan to extend this programme in the coming year.

Health

Health related matters are still high on the agenda here in Catembe. Two of the more remote clinics are now staffed and open each weekday morning.

Malaria continues to be the most dangerous disease although HIV / AIDS is quickly catching up. The District also has, at the time of writing, problems with cholera and with malnutrition, diarrhea, stomach and skin problems.

Thankfully the IMAGINE sponsored community ambulance continued to serve the community – especially welcomed during a large fire near the Ponte which destroyed a petrol station, restaurant and a number of houses. It was gratifying to hear the siren of the ambulance rushing to and from the scene carrying injured people to the local hospital. Circa 2,300 people were carried in 2006 and an estimated 2,500 in 2007+. Sadly following an attempted robbery in mid year, a number of parts were stolen from the vehicle and other fixtures damaged. Fortunately we managed to get the vehicle back on the road again fairly quickly.

During the visit of the teachers from England (see below) we donated a wheelchair to the hospital. This may not sound something to be announced but it remains the only wheelchair the hospital has. We also donated a TV and video for use within the HIV testing centre, based at the hospital.

Mid-way through the year we were pleased to host a training course of traditional healers at the IMAGINE office. Sponsored and led by the Health Ministry, this course passed on invaluable knowledge (particularly with regard to safe delivery of babies) to people who are well respected and trusted within the community.

Education

We are pleased to say that this year has seen the culmination of our promise to uplift the Lewi Pethrus school in Inguide.
Over the past two years we have managed to refurbish the entire school, install electricity (to allow night school), install a water system (and thus toilets with running water), re-built a skills training centre and provided a total of 185 desks thus ensuring each classroom is fully equipped.

As the District Education Director pointed out during the final hand-over of desks in December, each desk does not only provide seating for 2 children in a school day but because of the “3 turnos” system of education, i.e. to make best use of scarce resources, here each classroom is home to three levels of schooling – early morning, late morning and afternoon (and for those school having electricity, evening). As such each desk provides seating for at least 6 children during each school day. Based on this analysis, the 185 desks at Inguide school provide seating for over 1,100 children per school day – and more during night school sessions.
We have already provided 120 desks for two other schools and in the first months of 2008 hope to hand-over a further 100.

We continue to provide school uniforms, satchels and materials for all children in our programme – and have agreed to provide such items for the 60 children who will attend the new school in Djuice.

The sewing centre IMAGINE supported in Guachene is working hard to make all the uniforms before the end of January deadline (when the children return to school). The Education authorities have again agreed that this centre can make (and sell) uniforms for the Catembe schools – which helps ensure that the centre has income to allow them to continue, to provide employment within Catembe and to ensure that uniforms are affordable to families (costs of uniforms in Maputo are roughly twice as expensive).

School Playground

In partnership with the Education authority, we have constructed a “local” school play area in Djuice. Made entirely of local materials, the play area has already attracted many visitors from the young children of the community. We plan to construct more of these playgrounds when funds are available.

1st June

We again tried to make the Children’s Day (1st June) celebrations a little bit special for the children of Catembe. In total, IMAGINE provided some 6,000 individual packets of sweets, biscuits, soft drinks etc. for primary school children. Such a logistical task (purchasing, sorting, distributing etc.) was made easier by the dedication and long hours worked by all IMAGINE staff working as a team. The joy on the faces of so many children when we drove up to their schools laden with such “goodies” made it all worth while.

We also continued with the tradition of presenting gifts to the mother of the first baby born on Children’s day.
Fortunately we did not have to wait for the expected birth this year – a baby girl being born in our local hospital in the early hours of the morning. The District Administrator joined us in presenting the gifts (baby bath, nappies, clothes etc.) to an astonished mother. Not wanting to leave anyone out, we then visited the children’s wards in the hospital to make sure every child received a present

Old People's Villages

The old people living at the village in Incassane continue to give us much joy whenever we visit. They call us “their family” and like any family we share their good and not so good times. We continue to provide food and other basic though essential materials and, of course, we provide various forms of medical care (IMAGINE employs a “home help” activist based at the centre). Sadly we have lost 3 of our “family” this year but cherish the memories of such special people.

Mosquito Nets

In 2006 the production crew for the film, Blood Diamond, which was made in Maputo and the surrounding area, paid a visit to our Catembe programmes (they also visited the programmes of some other NGO’s working in the city of Maputo, including the Mother Teresa Sisters). All were deeply touched by what they saw and following their various visits founded the “Blood Diamond Charitable Trust”. Early in 2007 we received a phone call from the locally based administrator of the Trust asking if they could help us (i.e. Catembe) by donating 1,250 mosquito nets and providing funds to build 2 local houses. We readily accepted this support and duly received the nets and the house building funds.

With assistance from the district administration, the health authorities and the Social Action representative, lists were drawn up of families who would receive the nets – all comprising young children. Over a two week period the IMAGINE staff and community coordinators distributed all nets throughout the district, taking time to train people in their correct use.

According to reports, use of mosquito nets reduces the chance of catching malaria by up to 70%.
Malaria is still the biggest killer of children in Mozambique – and on seeing just how desperate so many people were to get hold of a net, we determined to extend the programme. Before we could allocate funds to this work and completely out of the blue, we were called by a representative of the owners of the Cardoso hotel and told that the charity they supported (Our Forgotten Children) would like to support our work. They readily agreed to fund the purchase of an additional 1,000 nets.

Teachers Visit

In August, we were pleased to welcome five teachers from UK (including three from the Northallerton school, who are linked to the schools in Catembe). They stayed for a total of ten days and enjoyed a very full programme. Visits to all schools of course was a highlight for them but we also encouraged them to “touch” the various other programmes we are involved in.
After a formal introduction to the District Administrator and his staff, we met with a large delegation from the OMM (Organisation of Mozambican Women). Everyone was presented with a capulana and enjoyed a few hours together over lunch under a large tree at the rear of the IMAGINE offices. Lots of speeches and explanations about different cultures were followed by singing and dancing – the teachers being encouraged to join in.

A visit to a student’s home in the bush of Inguide showed the teachers just what difficulties many children in Catembe have in receiving an education. To enjoy a days schooling, the student left home at 05.30 each morning, walking for nearly an hour before reaching school. The return journey after about three hours of lessons saw him helping out the family (consisting of his mother and three siblings) in terms of fetching water, feeding the goats, collecting firewood etc., before he settled down to study under the light of a flickering oil lamp. We were all very impressed with his determination.

Other visits in the programme saw the teachers visit the hospital (where they presented a wheel chair), Guachene school, where they presented 50 desks, to the start-up of a youth agricultural programme, to a house handover (for a child led-family) and to the “old people’s village” supported by IMAGINE.

A surprise farewell lunch hosted by the District Administrator and his staff was an excellent finale to their visit.
Later, after their return to UK, the teachers told us that they were in awe of the spirit and generosity of the people of Catembe. They now view their visit as life changing and simply cannot get the experience out of their minds – good job they only came for ten days !!!.
The purpose of the visit of course was not simply to experience the different culture but also to understand just how they could get this learning experience across to thestudents in Northallerton. Thanks to the long term “link”, many students and teachers couldn’t wait to hear of their first-hand “touching” of Catembe. Special presentations were arranged wherein the teachers tried to convey the experiences of their visit. They did so extremely well – and the level of awareness rose incredibly.

One of the party was so struck and touched by the conditions so many families have to exist in that before she left she donated sufficient funds to allow us to construct a local house for a deserving family.

HIV / AIDS

(Please note, the comments below are those of IMAGINE and are not necessary those of people who know much more than we do about this subject).
You may be wondering why we have left our experience of the HIV / AIDS problems so long into the report. It is simply because we are re-thinking just what path we should follow with regards to our contribution in fighting the pandemic. We have already said that we integrate our HIV / AIDS work within all our other programmes.
We believe that we cannot fight HIV / AIDS without fighting poverty. If given the opportunity to speak about HIV / AIDS within community – we do, if we can help a family suffering from HIV / AIDS loss, we do, we also try to take care of children infected or effected by AIDS and thanks to our network of partners, we are able to provide medical care for people living with HIV / AIDS.
One thing we are sure of however, is that if we want to win the battle against HIV / AIDS we must find a better and more affirmative way to contribute to the fight.
AIDS is presenting perhaps the greatest challenge to Mozambique in its efforts to eradicate poverty and to build a future for its children. The 2007 HIV prevalence statistics are severe. On average it is said that HIV prevalence in Mozambique is 16.2%. However there are stark differences between provinces, with areas within or close to transport corridors being particularly high. According to 2007 figures prevalence rates are said to be :-
Maputo Province 26%, Maputo City 23%, Gaza 27%, Sofala 23%, Zambezia 19%, Manica 19%, Cabo Delgado 10%, Inhambane 12%, Tete 13%, Niassa 8%, Nampula 8%.
Recent studies have shown that the pandemic is even more concentrated in Southern Africa than previously thought. According to UNAIDS, of the 33.2 million people living with HIV worldwide, more than two thirds (22.5 million) live in sub-Saharan Africa.
We have come to believe an important aspect of the fight against HIV / AIDS is the involvement of community. This is best described as a sense of solidarity, compassion and mutual help. It is a collective act. The problems associated with HIV / AIDS should be talked about openly – and to all. During a recent “open” meeting in Catembe, some AIDS activists were explaining that their intent was to provide HIV / AIDS education to the youth and early adult population. An old man at the back of the group shouted out – “But what about me, when my children ask me about HIV I don’t know what to tell them – but I want them to come to me to ask”. Fair comment.
So, we believe that the fight against AIDS requires a social movement and that all should be very
much aware that the enemy is AIDS itself, not those suffering from it. Too much reliance on donor funded AIDS programmes has divided people – HIV positive from HIV negative, moral from immoral, high risk from low risk etc.

That is enough of the sermon – so what are we going to do ?

• continue supporting those infected or effected by HIV / AIDS, in the various ways described in this report

• take the HIV / AIDS message out to the community

• be creative in explaining the message, ensuring that it is remembered long after the meeting itself

• mobilize youth in creating a better future for them and their community

• use peer examples to emphasize the message

• encourage the ABC approach – Abstinence, Be faithful, use a Condom

The IMAGINE Staff

IMAGINE employs approximately 33 staff – dependent on the number of houses we are constructing. At the moment we have four building teams – but of course we have to regularly review these numbers dependent on funds being available to continue our home construction / maintenance programme. Our policy is to employ Catembe people if at all possible. At the moment only two staff members live in Maputo.
We are pleased to say that Imelda Escalona is still with us. She only came for one year – over 3 years ago and we are grateful she is still with us. She has transformed our financial control and recording systems and is highly welcomed within all communities for the heart and soul she brings to all she does – especially within the Family Support programme she helped to develop, install and maintain.

Sports and Youth

IMAGINE now has a football team, consisting mostly of the “builders” and the younger element of the office staff.
Games are played regularly late Friday afternoons – on any ground reasonably flat. To help develop and foster community spirit, we have encouraged other institutions and communities to create their own football teams.
Where necessary and where possible, IMAGINE is happy to provide football strips and footballs. To-date we now have teams representing the army (2), the police, the education authority, two youth associations and three community associations.

As can be expected the two army teams are probably the fittest whilst the team made up of district teachers play by far the best football.

Interestingly, IMAGINE have just been elected to be part of a commission which will use sport as a means to promote “good living practices” for youth and to pass-on the importance of understanding and knowing of the HIV / AIDS problem. Sport definitely attracts youth and gives many a sense of togetherness, teamwork and community spirit.

As started last year and again to foster community spirit, IMAGINE invited over 60 youth to partake in a week of “work experience” in November. The youth, both boys and girls, accompanied IMAGINE programme officers and community coordinators to various projects, helping at the Family Homes, old people’s village and housing projects –as well as learning basic programme administrative functions. In an end of week question / answer session, all asked if we could extend the work experience programme by a further week – or two. Whilst we appreciated this response, our planned workload for the coming week was just too great to agree. However we have agreed to extend the programme next year.

Financial Report

There follows a brief financial report for the year 2007. To allow us to complete this annual report for issue early in the new year, the financial figures are based on January – November actuals (although still to be verified by audit check) and December estimate. Our annual audit normally takes place in February (carried out by an international audit company) and this will be made available to any donor on request.

Brought forward from 2006 :- U$D 47,129
Donations & Receipts 2007 :- U$D 315,513

Main Donors

Embassy of Finland, IBIS, HACI, Egmont Trust, Formby Group, Imagine Mozambique Ltd.,
EDF Man, Northallerton School, Redgate Church, Rainhill Rotary Club, Polana Rotary Club,
Spears Trust, MPDC, St. Mary Magdalene Church - Enfield, Blood Diamond Charity, Our
Forgotten Children, Accrington church & Rotary groups, Clayton-le-Moor church groups, Mold
church group, various individuals and communities.

Expenditures (U$D) :-

Family Homes (Inguide) 107,960
Local home construction 13,481
MC Sisters 6,150
Children programmes 5,636
School Support 22,147
HIV / AIDS education 2,285
Skills training 2,028
Family Support / Assistance 19,782
Community Development 22,027
Salaries, allowances & benefits 48,217
Housing rentals / accom. 13,783
Transport & traveling costs 14,675
Communication 4,205
Office equipment 5,393
Office supplies 4,090
Professional fees 4,966
Accounts receivable 5,375
Accounts payable (17, 244)
Loss/Gain exchange rate (2,620)
Other 8,006

TOTAL 290,342

BALANCE AT 31/12/2007 72,301

(Note :- over U$D 71,000 of this balance is committed expenditure in 2008).

 

Information

Please note that at the suggestion of Lloyds TSB, a new charity bank account has been opened in the name of Associacao Imagine for UK based donors. The previous bank account will be closed shortly. If you need the new account details, please contact our UK mailing address, or email us,
or access the IMAGINE webpage, all as detailed below.

Awards

We are pleased to report that in November 2007 IMAGINE was voted (by the youth of the community) as one of the Institutions working in the district making the most positive contribution to the development of Catembe. The other institutions were, the Education Authority, the Health Authority, and EDM (the national electric company) - so we are in good company. We are also pleased to report that in December, we (J&L) were awarded a civil society honour by the Municipal Government for our Humanitarian work. The award ceremony was highly formal and was attended by many of the community.

It really was a privilege to be so recognized but, of course, we reminded everyone that although it was we two who were “up-front and on stage” so to speak, we were only representing the whole staff of IMAGINE as well as the many donors and supporters we have who contribute so much to our work here.
So, well done to all who help and assist our work and our heartfelt thanks for your continuing support, trust and encouragement.

And finally :-

Those of you who have read one of our annual reports before, will know that we like to finish by quoting a few words which have inspired us throughout the year. Although when naming our Association “IMAGINE”, we did not have in mind (or perhaps we did unknowingly)
John Lennon’s song, Imagine, if you look deeply into what he was saying, we come pretty close to the same philosophy. Here are just a few words from the song which may show this :-

Imagine

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace - (how many wars are fought in the name of religion)

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed and hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world - (there is enough in this world to satisfy everyone’s hunger)

You may say I’m a dreamer,
But I’m not the only one.
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will live as one - (first we imagine, later it becomes)

 

John Lennon

 

Many thanks for all you have done and continue to do to help us and to help the many beautiful people of Mozambique.

Joe & Lorraine Williams

Mozambique contact

Associacao IMAGINE
CP 1056
Maputo
Mozambique

Email :- imagine@emilmoz.com

UK contact

IMAGINE c/o
37 Newbold Grove
Croxteth Country park
Liverpool L12 0NS

Web :- www.imaginemozambique.org