"With ADRA's help, we were able to restore the Mangal," says Geraldo Julião, in Nanene, in the district of Maganja da Costa
This is your chance to take that life-changing adventure, find your purpose in service, create life-long friendships, and see faith in a new, transformative way. ADRA Connections is ADRA's short-term volunteer program that takes you into the field to put compassion into action and make an impact for communities in need. No experience necessary!
Geraldo Julião (49 years old) is the father of four children, two boys and two girls. Geraldo lives in Bairro de Nanene, in the town of Cabuir, Sede Bala Administrative Post, in the district of Maganja da Costa. His only source of income is subsistence farming.
Geraldo has been a member and beneficiary of the ZIREF project since October 2021, and is part of a school group in Machamba do Camponês (EMC) called "OPARELANA", which in Portuguese means "we are safe". This beneficiary tells us the incredible story of the mangrove restoration that ADRA, in coordination with the community of Bairro Nanene in Maganja da Costa, is carrying out as part of the ZIREF project.
"Before ADRA arrived here in our town, we used the mangrove anyway and that's why
we became prone to natural disasters (...) we used to cut down the mangroves to produce firewood and charcoal, as well as to build our houses. But little by little, we noticed that the mangroves were dying out, and the salt water began to invade our houses and our fields."Geraldo explained.
In the midst of the struggle between stopping the fury of the salt water and recovering the mangrove forest, there was a single objective: "to defend against any climatic eventuality". Geraldo points out that in addition to the irrational felling of the mangrove trees by the local community of Nanene, there was also a group of companies that felled the trees.
mangrove for drying copra and producing coconut oil and soap, thus creating huge openings in the Nanene mangrove forest and leaving the community more vulnerable.
"Nt wasn't just the community that destroyed the mangrove, there were also some companies that came here and cut down the mangrove to dry copra, so the mangrove was completely destroyed. And as a result, we suffered from saltwater intrusion, cyclones and so many other natural disasters." He detailed.
This beneficiary points out that with the support of ADRA and the joint efforts of the community, it has been possible to recover an area of 30 hectares of mangrove forest in Nanene, and today, the community is resilient to climate change.
"When ADRA arrived in 2021, they trained us in techniques for using and planting mangroves. From then on, we started producing mangrove seedlings in a greenhouse, and transplanted the trees in almost all the devastated areas, and so far we've managed to restore 30 hectares and most of the trees have grown. Today we are stronger, even this latest cyclone didn't hit us." He said.
ADRA Mozambique, through the ZIREF project, funded by Foodgrains Bank, has been implementing the ZIREF project since September 15, 2021, targeting 1,250 small local farmers in the districts of Mocuba and Maganja da Costa. Part of this program is the restoration of 35.2 hectares of Nanene mangrove forest in the district of Maganja da Costa, of which 30h have already been restored and only 5.2 hectares remain to be restored.
This is your chance to take that life-changing adventure, find your purpose in service, create life-long friendships, and see faith in a new, transformative way. ADRA Connections is ADRA's short-term volunteer program that takes you into the field to put compassion into action and make an impact for communities in need. No experience necessary!
English 
Portuguese