“Before the water supply system, the community suffered from water scarcity and had to walk long distances to neighboring villages in search of the precious liquid,” says Bernardo Pedro Matsinhe, leader of the village of Macura, Chitanga Locality, Mabote District.

Such was the distance to fetch water, that people stayed overnight in neighboring districts like Govuro and Inhassoro, according to Matsinhe.

“In the village meetings, the local consultative council meetings, the administrative post consultative council meetings, as well as in the district-level meetings, the people have spoken on the lack of water in the village of Macura,” continues Mr. Matsinhe.

Through the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL), which is an United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Programme implemented by the Government of Mozambique, the voices and needs of local communities, such as that of Mr. Matsinhe and those of the inhabitants of Mabote District, are heard and essential public services are provided by the local governments themselves to communities to foster climate change adaptation and, now, also to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 crisis exacerbates the impact of climate change

Mozambique is among the countries most prone to natural disasters in the world. The occurrence of those such as floods, cyclones, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, droughts and earthquakes have had a significant impact on the people and economy, with even greater intensity in recent years. Inhambane Province itself suffered from cyclone Dineo in 2017 and is currently facing drought in most of its territory.

The COVID-19 crisis exacerbates the impact of climate change. It puts the livelihoods of rural populations, already compromised by the emergence of food and nutrition insecurity due to extreme weather conditions, at risk.

“Water and soap are a priority. Now, I feel more protected from COVID-19 because I have water,” says Rahele Johane, member of the Local Consultative Council in the Benzene Locality, Mabote District.

“[In addition] having a water source is important because at least we have water to drink, we can cook, wash clothes and water animals without having to walk several kilometers,” continues Ms. Rahele.

The Benzene Locality as well as the Chitanga Locality are part of LoCAL's interventions in the Mabote District within the scope of strengthening the capacities of local governments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In many cases, interventions in the areas of water, hygiene and sanitation protect entire communities from COVID-19 while strengthening and safeguarding their livelihoods.

In total, local communities in the 13 most vulnerable districts of the Gaza and Inhambane Provinces, covered by LoCAL, benefit from the support of the Government of Sweden facilitated by their Embassy in Maputo for the construction of climate-adaptive infrastructure in the midst of COVID-19 as well as for the preparation and response to the pandemic itself.

Mabote District: LoCAL action for local results

Amid the uncertainty resulting from the health global crisis, the allocation of funds to the districts follows a participatory approach involving and seeking to meet the needs of local communities.

The process includes women and men who represent the communities within the districts and aims at improving accountability of the local governments on issues related to governance and socio-economic development.

"The most important thing in this process is to listen to the communities, what are the concerns they have," says H.E. Secretary of State for Inhambane Province, Ms. Ludmila Maguni.

According to the Mabote District Administrator, Mr. Carlos Eduardo Mussanhane, "the selection of projects is an instrument for multiplying participation and democracy at the local level."

Mabote District is located in a semi-arid region, where water scarcity is a complex challenge.

For the Administrator, the LoCAL Programme resources are essential, not only for the supply of drinking water, but also to catalyze development actions in priority sectors that impact the livelihood of local communities and reinforce the response to the demands arising from COVID-19 in the areas of water, hygiene and sanitation; education and health services, as well as smallholder’s farming and rural livelihoods.

In addition to new water supply systems, members of the Mabote District Consultative Council decided to prioritize the acquisition of materials for the prevention and fight against COVID-19, including personal protective equipment and thermometers for health workers.

Isolation tents were also purchased. The tents make up the only isolation center in the entire district that has an area of ​​14,000 km² and more than 45,000 inhabitants.

“Before, we didn't have an isolation area, so we could not comply with the protocol for health and treatment or COVID-19 preventive measures,” comments Ms. Glória António Alfredo, Director of the District Service for Health, Gender, Child and Social Action.

For Ms. Glória, “If health personnel are prepared to deal with COVID-19 and with personal protective equipment, they protect not only themselves, but also the entire community.”

“If we didn't have the isolation area, COVID-19 positive patients would be forced to cross the infirmary where other patients with other pathologies are. This would be very complicated because it would endanger the health of other patients,” continues the District Director.

Bridging the finance and capacity gaps

Mabote District and Inhambane Province are clear examples of how close dialogue between local authorities and the Provincial Directorates of Health and Agriculture has been strengthened through the LoCAL Programme. Its most significant result is the guarantee that plans to safeguard livelihoods, budgets and finances are aligned with the social, economic and health interventions selected and prioritized by the local communities themselves.

According to Ramon Cervera, UNCDF Programme Officer in Mozambique: “Local governments are in a unique and privileged position to lead the planning and budgeting processes. At the same time, local governments promote and increase the articulation of emergency interventions to fight COVID-19 without losing the perspective of long-term social and economic development planning.”

“Local governments are at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic; this is why UNCDF's decentralized technical support strengthens the capabilities of district governments to integrate COVID-19-related financial support into local planning and budgeting processes,” says Ramon Cervera.

The LoCAL Programme field work is conducted in Mozambique by local authorities with supervision and direct support from the Ministry of Economy and Finance in coordination with the Ministry of Land and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Health through their decentralized governance structures; and technical support by UNCDF.

All the activities of the LoCAL Programme under COVID-19 are carried out thanks to the financial support of the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden facilitated by their Embassy in Maputo.