Africa-Press – Mozambique. In Mozambique, civil society organization Plataforma Decide is supporting the families of victims of the post-election protests. Beneficiaries of the initiative in the city of Beira share how their lives have changed.
The first implementation of this initiative took place in the residential areas of Beira. A professional course in cooking and food products was requested by the first beneficiary family, who lost their breadwinner during the protests.
Aid arrived last week to other families who, among other support, requested construction materials to renovate their homes.
DW spoke to an elderly woman whose 24-year-old son was fatally shot, allegedly by police, while walking to work on a day when there was no public transport because of the protests.
The young man, according to his mother, was the sole provider for this family of six members, including young children and elderly people.
“He was helping buy rice and flour for the children. My son worked very hard, helping his siblings with their school supplies, doing odd jobs, and going to school at night to help the family,” she says.
Hernissa Raimundo, another initiative beneficiary, told DW that she lost everything in the protests. Her husband, who was also allegedly shot by the police, was left with injuries that prevent him from working. The couple went into business ten years ago, but have now been living in a rented house for nine months.
With no money to pay the rent, and with three young children, this family has been living with the support of their the church, family, and neighbours. Now, through the Decide Platform initiative, they’re asking for help paying for tickets back to Nacala, their hometown.
“I got to this point because of the protests. My husband was shot in the stomach on December 24 on his way to work. Since then, I’ve been through a lot, I’ve had many difficulties,” she says.
“We lived off his business, he didn’t have a job. I also did business at the Maquinino market. So, everything has come to a standstill since then. We’ve been through hardships, we had no food. We had no way to feed ourselves, no support. We couldn’t pay for the house, we couldn’t feed the children,” the widow relates.
Helping with what’s needed
Wilker Dias, executive director of the Decide Platform, says the organization aims to reach the most vulnerable, but this is dependent on financial capacity.
“The support is diverse, as you can see: some include construction materials, some cell phones so people can return to school, some food aid. We even have coconut shredding machines, for example. So, we provide what the victims need right now,” he says.
Almost all families who lost loved ones or had family members injured are in a worryingly vulnerable situation, Dias adds, and at least 2,000 people are in need of psycho-social support or medication.
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