Community of Sant'Egidio - Collection for the victims of the flood in Mozambique

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COLLECTION IN FAVOUR OF THE VICTIMS
OF THE FLOOD IN MOZAMBIQUE

23/12/2000
Delivery of the first houses at Chibuto

At Chibuto, the dream has come true. On December 23rd the first 25 houses have been delivered to as many families victims of the flood, with a touching ceremony. Leonardo Palombi, of the Community of Sant'Egidio, tells us:

The heads of the families receive
the deed of delivery of the house

"The ceremony was simple, but joyful, and touching. The Community, the mayor and father Firmino, the parish priest, undersigned the documents of property in free assignment. The families, all numerous, that are composed of at least 6 members (but groups of 8-10 persons are not rare) received a copy of the deed and could enter the new house.

The joy was great. Someone said: "a house in concrete is for life". It is in fact a sign of stability, meaning the end of that condition of precariousness that marks the existence of many Africans. The visit of the houses was accompanied by songs and dances, in the frame of a splendid and warm day.

Then we remembered our history of friendship with Mozambique while the mayor defined our project as the best one of the whole province. Really, a masonry house is a dream for very many Mozambicans; still today the greater part of those who are homeless in consequence of the flood lives in emergency dwellings made of piles and reeds, exposed to the rain season which has begun by now.

Soon a new group of houses, the health center and the school will also be raised. All this has set in motion a plan for the realisation of house blocks for at least 5000 persons, that will aggregate around our first nucleus. Water supplying, already present with a connection to the water pipe of the neighbouring city, will be guaranteed also by the construction of 2 deep wells, one of which will serve the school and the other the health centre. Under construction is also the electrical cabin, which will connect the quarter to the network".

On behalf of the families that received the new houses, the mayor of Chibuto wrote a message to the Community