About Mozambique
Mozambique is one of the least developed countries in the world. Widespread poverty and lack of basic healthcare mean that disease and disability are commonplace. Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado (population around 1.7 million) has one of the highest numbers of reported cases of leprosy in Africa.
For countless families the only means of earning a livelihood is subsistence farming, and children frequently work in the fields with their parents or supplement the family income by begging.
The effects of leprosy are devastating and far-reaching. For many, those three words, 'You have leprosy', are the tipping point. Nowhere is this more true than in Mozambique, where a diagnosis of leprosy can be the final load that makes life seem just too difficult to bear.
At the ALEMO (Association for Leprosy Affected People in Mozambique) centre in Pemba there are provisions for income generation, such as tailoring and a shoe smith's room. There is a grain mill, pottery making room and area for basket weaving. In addition, they also hold self-care groups and the Government has an area on the ALEMO premises which are used for teaching. Some people from the ALEMO centre use these facilities.
Ernesto and Fatima's story
Ernesto is a young man who is part of the self-care group, where he met Fatema. They are now married and they have a daughter, Aurora, pictured. Ernesto has clawing of the fingers in both hands.
'I'm 29 years old. I've been involved with ALEMO for 11 years. I heard about it from one of the group leaders in Ancuabe. I came here and finished my treatment. I live here in Pemba now. When I got here and saw there was a need for a guard I became a guard and then I was trained to control the milling machines. I get a part of the money that comes from the mill.
'I have never been to school, so when I came here I heard about the literacy programme. It's a three year course and now I'm in the second year - after that we can enter the school system and go on from year six. I'd like to go on after this school. In the future I'd like to be a teacher, but I'm very happy to be operating the mill at this centre.'
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