The work of terre des hommes schweiz is primarily aimed at young people. However, some of our partner organizations also work with adults, who thus become role models for young people. The following example of Rosaria from Moçambique shows this impressively.
Gabriela Wichser, Program Manager Moçambique
During my last visit to our partner organization AMUDEM (Empowerment of Girls and Women in Moçambique), I met Rosaria*, 40 years old and mother of seven children. Last year, Rosaria was the victim of domestic violence. Shortly after the birth of her last son, her husband increasingly distanced himself from her. He left her to do all the work around the house and in the fields. Soon afterwards, he told her that he was leaving her to start a new family with a younger woman. He took all the savings that Rosaria had saved up over several years and which were intended for the construction of a larger house, as well as a bicycle, a radio, various supplies and seeds. He also harassed Rosaria on a massive scale and spoke ill of her in public. Alone with her seven children and elderly parents, she turned to Amudem.
No reason to be ashamed
Rosaria had known AMUDEM since 2009, when Amudem was setting up women’s groups. Later, Rosaria herself was a member of a volunteer group that did awareness-raising work on gender-based violence (GBV) in the villages. Unlike other women, she was not ashamed to seek help. The reason: through her work, she was already familiar with the topic and knew the situation from other women’s stories of suffering.
Against local traditions
Amudem’s help strengthened Rosaria in this very difficult life situation. When one of the counseling sessions focused on future prospects, Rosaria expressed the wish to build a house for her family herself. In rural Moçambique, it is traditionally reserved for men to build houses. However, the counselor encouraged Rosaria in her plan, knowing full well that Rosaria’s project was not compatible with local traditions. Amudem works with the solution focussed approach (SFA), which focuses on people’s strengths and resources.
Building her own house piece by piece
Rosaria was not deterred by the social structures and is now the proud owner of a new, larger and better quality house, which she built with her own muscle power. She has fired bricks and planted fields in order to use the proceeds to buy corrugated iron for the roof. With every brick Rosaria has laid, her self-esteem has changed. Today, she looks to the future with confidence: she sends all her children to school (boys and girls) and is relaxed about life without a husband.
Helps other women to take courage
The expected negative reaction from the neighbors has not materialized. On the contrary, she receives a lot of admiration for her new home and for the courage with which she has turned her life around. Rosaria talks about her experiences at Amudem awareness-raising events in other villages. In doing so, she helps other women to take courage and talk about their experiences of violence.
* Name changed
