Irish Aid in Mozambique

Over the summer I had the fantastic experience of travelling to Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa where I worked at the Irish Embassy in Maputo. It was an interesting and enlightening experience, and I enjoyed meeting a wide range of people from both Ireland and Mozambique who work in the field of diplomacy. It was particularly inspiring to see the good work done by the Irish Embassy and Irish Aid while in Mozambique, and the highlight of my trip was visiting the Marracuene primary school in the municipality of Guava near Maputo. 

The Marracuene primary school is the largest school in Guava and

accommodates 3,600 pupils.  The national primary teacher-pupil ratio in Mozambique is one teacher to sixty pupils, compared to an Irish average of one teacher to thirty pupils. In practice, some classes I visited with embassy staff were accommodating up to 120 pupils per teacher. The nearest secondary school to Guava was not within walking distance so despite being a primary school Marracuene unofficially catered to secondary school aged pupils as well. Due to the large number of pupils attending the school three shifts were held each day of 1,500 pupils for three hours of classes.

The work done by the Irish Embassy and Irish Aid in Guava was meaningful and inspiring: the Embassy had funded a renewable energy plan and installed solar panels in the school to provided electricity to the classrooms and neighbouring homes. Irish Aid had also funded a well digging project, built modern and hygenic toilet blocks for pupils and staff, installed water pipes, supplied the school with new blackboards, bins, and built a football field for the pupils to use during their breaks.  I also enjoyed meeting and speaking with the Marracuene School Council, an organisation made up of pupils, teachers, school administration, community leaders, and local politicians who meet regularly to discuss issues affecting their school and community. 

Visiting Marracuene was an important experience in learning about what other schools across the world are like and how they operate. Though there were many differences, there were also lots of similarities between our two schools, and the staff and community in Marracuene work very hard to provide and care for their pupils, even in difficult circumstances.  The Irish Embassy in Maputo has over 50 major aid and development projects that help schools and communities like Guava across Mozambique, Eswatini, and on the neighbouring island of Madagascar.  If any pupils are interested in international relations and how Ireland interacts with the world, I would encourage you to participate in the Model United Nations club at The High School to learn more about our world and the international community!
Leo Shorten