Telling the ECSA Story

Naume, 22, worked to place a tyre on a truck. Pauline Hurungudo/CARE Naume's life had been a series of shattered dreams and mounting challenges. At 22, she found herself forced to abandon her education just before her Form 4 Ordinary level examinations in 2017. Her mother, a street vendor struggling to make ends meet, couldn't afford the exam fees, leaving Naume's academic aspirations in ruins. Five years later, Naume's world spiraled further as she faced an unexpected pregnancy, abandoned by the child's father. The weight of her circumstances seemed insurmountable. "After being forced to drop out of school, I had lost all hope," Naume said. "I couldn't even sit my Form 4 exams. I was just hoping that selling vegetables with my mother would somehow help me raise my son and survive." In 2023, a glimmer of hope emerged in the form of CARE Zimbabwe's START4Girls project. This Youth Skills Development/Mentorship Programme, funded by Global

Filomena Lamu standing in front of her old home in the Homoine district. CARE/Mauro Vombe   The devastating effects of the El Niño-induced drought in Mozambique have hit women and girls the hardest. As the worst drought in 35 years ravages, it has led to severe food shortages, forced changes in daily routines, and exacerbated existing vulnerabilities. Women, particularly those in rural areas, have borne the brunt of these challenges, with many struggling to provide for their families. In a small village in the Homoine district of Inhambane Province, 67-year-old Filomena Lamu faced the daunting task of caring for her two young grandchildren alone. Her daughter, who had left for the capital, Maputo, in search of work, had left the children in Filomena’s care.      Filomena’s days were long and exhausting, spent tending to her cassava crops and collecting firewood, which she sold in small bundles to make ends meet. “As a grandmother and primary caregiver, I struggled to meet the basic n