The “Cotton for a better future” project is the result of a partnership between SAN-JFS RESET, with the RESET Foundation, with Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA) and with cotton producers in the District of Cuamba and the Government.
Most rural areas of Cuamba and Niassa province have difficult access to water and other basic services. In terms of education, there are high levels of illiteracy, particularly among girls and women. Most of the existing schools are built with local materials, as is the example of the Khomane primary school, 23 km from the village of Cuamba. Unfortunately, the region's school infrastructures present precarious facilities and insufficient lighting for teaching and learning, with classes canceled on rainy days, and many difficulties in attracting and retaining students and teachers, resulting in high levels of of school dropout.
As part of its social responsibility, JFS-RESET and the RESET Foundation, in partnership with the community, designed and implemented an integrated intervention focusing on access to education and water at the Khomane school, with the aim of contributing to improving the quality of education, to reduce school dropout rates and illiteracy.
The work began in September 2023 and on February 20, 2024, the opening of the new school and fountain was formally celebrated with the participation and handover of the authorities of the Khomane community. The project had several areas of structural intervention, including the electrification of the school through solar panels, the construction of 2 conventional classrooms, construction of an administrative block, a water supply system (public fountain), toilets and a playground. The project also included a school production component, with the opening of a vegetable garden for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables and a community farm for cotton production.
Contributions and main impacts of the Project
With a financial contribution of 75,000 Euros from Mrs. Christl Otto from the Aid by Trade Foundation - CmiA community cooperation program (CCCP), SAN-JFS RESET's investment in Khomane school is benefiting 430 male and female students and around 3,500 residents in the village of Khomane.
Specifically, the fountain is contributing significantly to improving the living conditions of residents of the 4 villages that make up the Village of Khomane, who previously had to travel distances of 10 km on foot to access drinking water. Access to water and improved latrines in the school establishment guarantee better conditions for teaching and learning, contributing to the retention of girls in school, as confirmed by the students at the Khomane school themselves.
It is also expected that the school garden will have a positive impact on the nutrition of students and that the sale of cotton produced in the community Machamba will complement the community's monetary contributions for the maintenance of the fountain and school infrastructure in the long term.
This type of projects aims to amplify effectiveness and encourage positive and sustainable transformations among the most disadvantaged communities.
