DESCRIPTION
AISPO INTERVENTION IN MOZAMBIQUE

In 1992 FRELIMO and RENAMO, the two main parties of Mozambique which had challenged each other in an endless civil war, signed in Rome a peace agreement.

The Northern provinces of Sofala and Zambesia were the most ravaged by the war. Because of the long fighting period enormous logistic difficulties have been preventing an easy reach of the provinces head quarters and their peripheral districts. Even nowadays, especially during the rain season the road are not practicable. Sometimes the only mean of transport is by air with small aircraft.

As soon the peace agreement was in force AISPO developed emergency and humanitarian programmes in Sofala to sustain the peace project:
  • In 1993 a first project was financed by the Humanitarian Office of the European Union (ECHO) to be implemented in the village of Chemba, along Zambesi River, deep in the territory controlled by RENAMO. AISPO refurbished and reconstructed the Health Centre and posted medical and nursing personnel to reorganise it.
  • In 1994 another project was financed by the UN agency UNOHAC to rehabilitate the Heath Centre of Caia, as well along the Zambesi River. Even in this occasion AISPO medical personnel was posted to work in the district.






Since then AISPO has always been present in the two district giving an essential support to the revival and reorganisation of the health services: from a first phase of emergency the projects shifted in post emergency and developing programmes.
  • ·In 1994 another project in the health field was financed by E.U. to rehabilitate the Health Posts deep in the district of Chemba: the main routes had been freed by the mines and our health teams could reach population which had not seen a doctor since 20 years.
  • ·From 1994 to 1996 the activities (rehabilitation of health posts, vaccination campaigns, mother and child care, curative medicine, ?) in both districts (Caia and Chemba) were supported by a joint effort of UNDP and the Embassy of Italy in Mozambique.
  • ·Since 1997 is in force a project ?Sofala 2000?, financed by the Italian Govern which covers both the district of Caia and Chemba and the foresees technical assistance and training to the managing personnel at the Provincial Health Head Quarters in Beira.
  • ·In 1997 the E.U. gave to AISPO and COOPI, another Italian NGO, the responsibility to implement a developing project in Quelimane, the capital of Zambesia Province. The main objective is the rehabilitation/reconstruction of the main referral hospital of the Province. A new wing of the hospital will be finished by next year.


A lot has still to be done to grant the northern provinces of Mozambique a peaceful future: AISPO with its initiatives to better the life condition of the population has committed itself to contribute to the peace process.