Cabo Delgado: Joana begins building a new home for her family

Mueda, Cabo Delgado - Joana Ambrósio, 41, knows what it means to start over. After losing her home and belongings, and later her husband, she now dreams of building a house in a safer community where her family can rebuild their lives.

Joana had always lived in Nangade, where she built a life with her husband. It was where their children were born, where she farmed to support the family and where she dreamed of watching them grow up. But in 2022, armed conflict forced Joana and her family to leave everything behind.

"When the armed men arrived, all we could think about was escaping. We could not take anything with us. We ran to save our lives," Joana recalls.

For three days, Joana, her husband and their seven children walked through the bush in search of safety. They slept outdoors, faced hunger and endured days of fear and uncertainty, not knowing where they would find protection. Their journey ended in the community of Chilinde, where local families welcomed them.

"The community received us when we had nothing and nowhere to go," says Joana.

The community gave the family a place to stay and a piece of land where they could grow food. Access to shelter and farmland allowed Joana to begin rebuilding her life after fleeing Nangade.

Soon after arriving in Chilinde, however, Joana faced another tragedy. Her husband passed away, leaving her to care for their seven children alone.

"At that moment, my biggest concern was finding a place where I could build a home and keep my children safe. They only had me," she says.

When Joana decided to settle in Chilinde, the community once again supported her. Local families gave her a piece of land where she could build a home of her own.

The opportunity to begin this new chapter came when Joana received support through direct cash payments. UNICEF, in partnership with Mozambique’s National Institute of Social Action (INAS) and with funding from the Eastern and Southern Africa Humanitarian Fund (ESAHF), supports the direct cash payments programme, which is reaching 2,500 displaced, returnee and host families in Cabo Delgado. The assistance helps families meet their most urgent needs and protect the well-being of their children.

"With this support, I will buy wooden poles and rope to start building my own house here in Chilinde. Now I truly feel that I can start again," says Joana.

Nangade will always be the place where Joana was born and where her family created their first memories. But in Chilinde, she found safety, people who supported her when she needed it most and a community where she could begin rebuilding her life.

"Today I can say that this is also my home," Joana says with confidence.

Through humanitarian assistance and the solidarity of the local community, displaced families like Joana’s are gaining the means to recover, rebuild their lives and look towards the future with renewed hope.