GUIJÁ STUDENTS

Students in Guijá walk three hours to school

Guijá is a rural district located along the Limpopo River in the southern Gaza province of Mozambique across the River from Chókwè, one of the more developed and populated districts in Gaza. The population of Guijá district is approximately 80,000 and most people speak only the local dialect Changana. Guijá is a very rural and underdeveloped area with a low literacy rate, high prevalence of HIV, and scarcity of jobs.

Students in Tomanine and Chivongoene must pay for transport to reach their secondary schools. It costs 20 meticais per trip to reach school so the spend is 40 meticais per day or over 800 meticais per month ($16 USD). This represents 25% of a minimum wage salary and far more as a percentage of informal sector agriculture earnings.  It is simply impossible for many families to pay these costs and many students are forced to drop out. Less than 30% of Mozambicans have a secondary education, often due to costs and lack of transport. Low levels of formal education perpetuate poverty and make it difficult for these youths to seek real employment.

Giving Mozambikes to students in Tomanine and Chivongeone will reward their persistence in continuing in school and remove many of the barriers that cause the high levels of drop-outs in high school. Their parents can spend their wages on food and other necessities, and the families can use the bicycles on the weekend for trips to the market and clinics.

This project will provide:

• 25 Bicycles for secondary students
• Transport of the bicycles to the rural villages of Tomanine and Chivongoene
• Training session on how to ride and perform basic maintenance on the bicycles
• Accessories: Bicycle pump, personalized tools and removable lantern to use for lighting at home