Fátima’s Story of Hope, Dignity and a New Future

It is amazing that in this technologically advanced generation, just under 50% of Mozambicans are still unable to read or write. That’s around 16 million people.

People like Fátima, a 38-year-old mother of five who lives with her husband in an area where we recently started our Literacy for Life Project.

Her story is marked by pain and struggle, but today, above all, it is marked by hope.

I lost my father when I was only 10 years old, and from that moment on, my childhood changed completely. I grew up facing many hardships and had no way to go to school.

My mother and my father’s family were farmers, and despite their daily struggle to survive, they could not afford to send me to school. While other children learned to read and write, I was left behind, keeping the distant dream of one day studying in my heart.

Years passed. I started my own family and became a mother, but the desire to study never died. I saw others joining literacy centres, but I felt unable to join because I could not afford school materials.

This made me deeply sad, as I knew that education could change my life and my children’s lives.

But God did not forget me.

When it seemed too late, the Literacy for Life Project came to my village. It was like a light in the darkness. For the first time in my life, I had notebooks, pens, pencils and a student record.

This may seem simple to some, but for me, it is the fulfilment of a dream held for many years. Every letter I learn and every word I write is a victory and the restoration of my dignity.

This project has changed my life and the lives of many adults who were denied the right to study. We no longer feel forgotten. Instead, we feel valued and able to dream again.

Today, I can joyfully say, “I am learning, I am growing, and I am living a new beginning.”