We are writing to you from northern Mozambique to share the joys and challenges of our missionary work, made possible by your prayers and your ongoing, invaluable support. We are focusing our efforts on development projects in various fields: literacy, training for mothers and young people, self-sufficiency, and economic development. Maria Augusta leads the work with elementary school students who have serious difficulties with reading and writing. Twice a day, she works primarily with young girls who, for a couple of hours, learn and reinforce what they cannot manage to do in three hours of school in a class of one hundred students. Ilaria focuses on economic education, an important aspect in a cultural context that does not know the concept of saving and where the tradition is to spend immediately what one earns; a work of patience, knowing that the hoped-for results cannot be achieved in the short term. Federica focuses on the education of young people because they are the future of this country. While until recently they were the ones setting fires in the savanna and blocking roads due to political dissatisfaction, today we work with them to instill values such as peace, environmental stewardship, and the ability to think creatively and plan for a better future.
The challenges we face are quite daunting: poverty and the destruction caused by a cyclone, as happened recently, cannot be wiped away with a quick sweep of a sponge, but we believe that building on people and with people can yield positive results. That is why we strive every day to work toward transforming people’s lives through practical training and education. At the Carapira secondary school, we also offer intensive formation in human and Gospel values; the curriculum includes both theoretical and hands-on components. Furthermore, we strive to ensure that these 250 students, who live far from their respective communities, do not miss out on catechetical formation.
We do this every Friday, walking with them on an annual journey enriched by retreats and outings that bring them into contact with real-life experiences. We are also happy to participate in the dynamic life of Carapira’s 99 communities; the parish includes, in addition to the center, five regions and 21 pastoral zones. Our goal is to help people become as self-reliant as possible in managing their own lives. We are firmly convinced that simply giving things or money does not solve problems. Of course, practical help is also needed, but if it is not supported by training and a journey of awareness, it makes people dependent. With all our hearts, we try not to create injustices in a country that has already seen so many, and to share our daily lives with them. The context is difficult: corruption and discrimination of every kind, and few job opportunities.
All this stands in contrast to the country’s abundant natural resources, which, instead of being a source of wealth for Mozambique, become the focus of interest for foreign countries, including Italy. In Nampula, an hour away from us, there are still refugee camps housing those who have fled the Islamist terrorism still ongoing in Cabo Delgado. This violence is driven not so much by religious motives as by the desire to control the territory. We engage in our local context based on communal discernment. And the resilience of our people encourages us to continue doing so. We are currently supporting a project to combat malnutrition by helping 40 mothers care for their young children, who would otherwise risk dying from lack of food. We have also planned to renovate the kitchen at the secondary school, which is in a state of great disrepair, largely due to years of smoke damage. This deterioration has an impact on the health of the students and school staff. We are grateful to all those who contribute to our work, both morally and materially. In this way, you share in the work of witness and love that helps us transform our lives and those of the people who have welcomed us. Muito obrigada (thank you in Portuguese)!
Koxukhuru vanjene (thank you very much, in the Macua language)!
Federica and Ilaria – LMC in Mozambique
[Nigrizia Magazine, April 2026]
