"We've already managed to restore 32 hectares of Mangal", says Cristina Vontade, beneficiary of the ZIREF project in 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!
Cristina Vontade (50 years old), mother of 3 children, 2 girls and 1 boy, lives in Bairro Nanene, Posto Administrativo Sede Bala, in the district of Maganja da Costa. Cristina tells us the sad and happy story of the degradation and restoration of the Mangal in Nanene, in the district of Maganja da Costa:
"We residents of the Nanene community were the ones who destroyed the mangrove to exploit the cuttings, but when we saw that the mangrove was disappearing, we had our own initiative to re-establish the mangrove, but we didn't succeed, because we didn't have any technique." Cristina explained.
The initiatives of ADRA Mozambique's ZIREF project, launched in September 2021 and focusing on two districts (Maganja da Costa and Mocuba), have provided
techniques for the use, conservation and restoration of Nanane mangroves in Maganja da Costa. The mangrove restoration component, in particular, involved a group of 80 volunteers, of whom Cristina is one, and today they are bearing positive witness.
"We had a bad time with floods and cyclones. Our crops would rot in our fields, because when the water came in, it would flood everything. But when ADRA arrived, they taught us how to preserve and plant the mangroves, so we managed to restore almost 32 hectares and we've already finished part of it, and now we want to move on to the other bank." he stressed.
Cristina sees positive results and benefits from the efforts made by the
ADRA together with the community, and says that today she knows that the mangrove serves as a great protection against natural disasters. Furthermore, she stresses that she will not allow anyone to destroy the mangrove forest.
"The benefits of this project are that we now know how to conserve and plant mangroves. In the past, we used to cut down the mangroves uncontrollably. But now that we've restored it, even when the rain falls it doesn't cover us, because the mangrove trees protect us" I said.
Given the ongoing efforts, Cristina stressed that despite having reached the 35.2 hectares envisaged by the ZIREF project, the community
de Nanene also intends to embark for the other shore in order to continue the action, in the meantime they are asking for transportation support.
"We've already finished restoring the good part of the project, but we intend to embark for the other shore, but we lack transportation, so we're asking for help from the project." he concluded.
ADRA Mozambique has been implementing the ZIREF project since September 15, 2021. Part of this program is the restoration of 35.2 hectares of Nanene mangrove forest in the Maganja da Costa district, of which 30 ha 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!
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