Photo: Before the opening of the new health clinic in the community of Djodjo, Panda district, Inhambane Province, community members had to walk more than 40kms to access health services. Credit: UNCDF/Souza Domingos 2024

For as long as Almeira Nhagumbe, 49-year-old nurse, can remember, the community of Djodjo in Panda district, Inhambane Province, Mozambique, had a makeshift reed hut with a thatched roof as its health clinic and maternity ward.

“We didn’t have electricity and it was extremely hot, there was only one room for us to treat patients and for pregnant women to give birth”, said Almeira. “We had to use a phone or flashlight to attend births; and if I was alone, I would have to put the phone in my mouth whilst helping the mothers and babies.”

Now, thanks to the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL), led by the Government of Mozambique, and with technical support from the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the people of Djodjo and nearby communities can benefit from a resilient health clinic and maternity ward, in which health and reproductive services can be provided in a dignified manner.

“In this new building, we have everything that the mothers and children need; we were a team of only one nurse and one health technician before, now we are composed of six people”, commented Almeira while a pregnant woman waits for her appointment. “Patients are coming in droves, and we are carrying out 12 births per month, instead of two births per month before the clinic was inaugurated,” affirmed Almeira.

Photo: A nurse stands in the new maternity ward of the health clinic in the community of Djodjo. Credit: UNCDF/Souza Domingos 2024

Mozambique is the third most vulnerable African country to the risks of natural disasters (GAR 2019). In the last 42 years, there have been 15 droughts, 20 floods and 28 tropical cyclones (INGD). The last one was Cyclone Freddy, affecting approx. 800,000 people when it hit the country twice, in March and April 2023.

Natural disasters have a direct impact on the lives of women and girls, making them more susceptible to food insecurity, poverty and gender-based violence, and increasing their dependence on male partners, family members and landowners.

“I really enjoy coming to this hospital for prenatal consultations, I don't even care about the fact that I have to walk more than 10km to get here”, said Luísa Neves, 21-year-old mother-of-two, who is pregnant with her third child. “Before having this hospital, if something serious happened I had to walk for two days and sleep on the road halfway,” she affirmed.

Photo: Luísa brought one of her children for a check-up and also take advantage of being able to have her routine pre-natal check up at the clinic as well. Credit: UNCDF/Souza Domingos 2024

Local consultative councils

Through LoCAL, many communities like Djodjo across Mozambique have access to climate adaptive solutions and access to climate finance for local governments, where communities themselves can lead climate action.
This is done through local consultative councils, the link between the government and the community. Members are selected by their own communities from several different social strata: women, men, teachers, religious leaders, businesspeople, young people and the elderly.

Photo: A nurse checks on expectant mother in Tomanine Health Centre, Guijá District, Gaza Province, Mozambique, one of the many health clinics built with LoCAL support. Credit: UNCDF LoCAL 2024

Through the consultative councils, local authorities listen to the voices and needs of their communities in defining and selecting essential resilient infrastructure and public services. These are provided by the districts themselves for their communities, in order to promote sustainable local development and adaptation to change climate.
First, local communities are involved in what they consider to be their greatest needs, proposals are then forwarded to local and then provincial administrations.

“We chose the maternity, because we are the ones who will give birth here”, says Teresa Wilson, 56 years old. “It is for us,” she emphatically emphasizes. Teresa is one of the many local consultative council members of Chokwe district, Gaza Province, who selected to prioritize building a maternity in the Cumba community, where she lives.

Teresa Wilson has been a member of the local consultative council for more than 10 years now. “There is nothing like defending one's ideas, something that we needed so much; now by seeing it materialize in front of us, makes the whole community feel listened to”, she said. Photo: UNCDF LoCAL 2024.

“When it rained, the community was isolated, no one could leave or enter the community, we suffered a lot without a health clinic or nurse. My own wife died in childbirth”, commented Júlio, a 92 year-old member of the Cumba community and part of the maternity co-management committee.

“My biggest fear was that the same thing would happen to my daughters, so building this maternity hospital is the best thing in my life. I already have three grandchildren who were born here and a great-granddaughter”, said Júlio, smiling.

Photo: Júlio Chave stands proudly in front of the new maternity ward in Cumba, Chokwe district, Gaza Province, Mozambique. Credit: UNCDF LoCAL 2024.

Co-management committees ensure that the climate resilient infrastructure and services are well taken care of, besides guaranteeing accountability of local governments.

Since 2014, with generous support from Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, the European Union and the Region of Catalonia, LoCAL has already directly benefited approx. 3 million people in the country - almost 10% of the Mozambican population. LoCAL is present in 54 of Mozambique's 154 districts, through the channeling of US$25 million directly to local governments.

Around 100 adaptive development infrastructures have been financed during the implementation of LoCAL in Mozambique. Amongst these infrastructures, there are 33 health clinics and 11 dedicated maternity wards, helping people like Almeira, Luísa, Teresa and Júlio live dignified lives without the fear of climate change.

Photo: On the left, the new health clinic with maternity ward in Djodjo community, Inhambane Province. On the right, the former makeshift reed hut with a thatched roof formerly used as a health clinic. Credits: UNCDF Souza Domingos 2024

Find out more about LoCAL here

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