Once again in 2021, Curoca municipality in Cunene is suffering from severe drought, to the point that the government is distributing emergency food aid. During the month of August, ADPP and CODESPA's work to bring increased access to water in the community of Warú in Curoca was nearing completion, as can be seen in the photos below. The project "Increasing the Resilience of communities in Cunene through access to water for domestic and agriculture" is financed by Camões Institute .

Finalizing the water tank

Almost ready

Drinking troughs for animals

Clean water to drink

Vegetables are growing in the garden at the hospital

Water is pumped using solar energy

An electric pump helps with irrigation

Separate water for cattle helps prevent disease

Solar systems are looked after by community water groups

Transplanting tomatoes, onion and cabbage

Small irrigation systems help vegetables grow

The community in Caxiri, Cuanza Norte is putting the roof on to the new community jango, and many of the family-built latrines are being finalized. The activities are taking place as part of the Community Development project in fishing communities. 

At the same time as working to increase production and earn more money, inland fishing communities face a range of other challenges including inadequate nutrition and limited knowledge about basic preventative health care. ADPP’s community development project aims to organise and work with communities to tackle such challenges. 

Meetings, training sessions, field visits and practical actions have helped fill the agenda across the implementation area during the month of August. 

Malanje Municipal Director for Social Communication and Traditional Affairs led a meeting at the municipal administration with Quessua Chikama production group; three production groups from the Kodiva Kota cooperative in the community of Casteves took part in a technical meeting on the finalization of the outlet system from water tanks and to discuss organizational aspects and internal management of activities; the project met with Quimonha production group where one of the principal items on the agenda was an updating of the remaining documents that were required to proceed with the process of gaining legal status as a cooperative.

Refresher training is key to keeping Community Health Agents up to date with developments, whether changes in the status of the Covid-19 pandemic, in general healthcare, or in the community itself. This month’s meeting was held, as usual, in the open air at ADPP’s office in Malanje, in accordance with measures that reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Field visits continued during the month to evaluate community infrastructures that form part of the project. National Coordination Assistant Marcial Passile saw for himself the progress being made in constructing latrines in the villages to eliminate the practice of open air defecation that is linked to the spread of preventable diseases. 

Practical actions included the beginning of work on a community hut that will serve the people living in Quizanga da Barraca as a meeting place and whatever other purpose is required.

Key actions at the heart of the project continued unabated. For example, Binzale cooperative’s community vegetable garden was in full production this month, supplying nutritious produce for own consumption and for sale.

Technical meeting with with Quessua Chikama production group on the finalization of the outlet system from water tanks

Meeting with the Quimonha production group on the final documents needed to legalise their co-operative.

Binzale cooperative’s community vegetable garden

Meeting with the Municipal Director of Social Communication and Traditional Affairs

Staff meetings take place outside as part of a package of measure to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19.

Field visits were conducted to monitor latrines construction in the villages

The construction of the community hut in Quizanga da Barraca

The community hut will be used for meetings, working groups and other events.

Community members hope to finish the space in September

 As part of the GEF/UNDP financed project “Radio programmes on topics related to climate-change resilience and emergencies in the Cuvelai Basin", ADPP is creating a series of 72 radio programes in local languages which are being transmitted in Cunene.

A series of special programmes have been created and broadcast between April and August 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Listen to them on ADPP's Soundcloud  in Nhaneca Humbe or Oshiwambo. 

In Huambo, ADPP's Sustainable Charcoal project is working to help families create their own low cost, low tech "tippy tap" handwashing systems. 

Project staff carried out house to house visits to inform families about COVID-19 prevention, and to mobilize families to create their own water-efficient handwashing systems. In many villages, the "soba" (traditional leader) was the first to install a tippy tap in order to set an example. Now many families are creating their own. 

House To House Visits In Bumba Huambo To Explain About Covid19

Tippy tap at the house of the Soba of Bumba, Huambo, copied by 35 participants in literacy learning at their own homes

The soba of Calonga asked for the first tippy tap to be installed at his house so the community could copy his example

Member Of Environment Action Groups and Their Families Beginning To Use Their Tippy Tap in Maiaia

The Children LearnTo Use Tippytap

It is likely that people will continue to use use the systems in the longer term