My name is António Lourenço Mutarua. I am 42 years old and have dedicated more than 20 years of my life to education. I am currently the headteacher of Mudira Primary School, located in Namanjavira Administrative Post, Mocuba District, an area that is regularly affected by cyclones, floods and other natural disasters.
For many years, teaching and managing the school was an enormous challenge. Whenever the rainy season arrived, many children dropped out because they could no longer reach the school safely. Early marriage, a persistent problem within the community, also contributed significantly to school dropout, particularly among girls, limiting their opportunities for a better future.
Parental and community involvement in school activities was very limited, making it even more difficult to keep children in school and support their learning. At the same time, teachers had to travel more than 65 kilometres every day because there were no staff houses built near the school.
As if these challenges were not enough, our school experienced a major setback when it was broken into. We lost all our administrative records and students' files, making it extremely difficult to continue our work and highlighting how vulnerable our school management system was.
Everything began to change when we were introduced to the Strengthening Teacher Resilience and Well-baing in Crisis Contexts Project. From the very beginning, we saw hope and believed that this initiative could transform our school.
I participated in the training for Cluster Resource Centre (ZIP) coordinators, where I strengthened my knowledge of gender equality, inclusive education, psychosocial support, disaster risk management, and digital solutions for securely storing school records.
The introduction of digital solutions has been one of the project's greatest achievements for our school. Today, all our school records are securely stored in the cloud, protecting them from loss due to theft, flooding or other emergencies. This has significantly improved the safety, organisation and accessibility of our information, enabling the school to continue operating even during times of crisis.
The project's impact can also be seen across the wider school community. School dropout has declined, cases of early marriage have reduced significantly thanks to stronger collaboration between the school and families, and we have rehabilitated part of the school infrastructure using burnt bricks, cement and ventilation openings, making the buildings more resistant to extreme weather conditions.
Today, Mudira Primary School is a stronger, more inclusive and more resilient school. Teachers, learners, parents and community members now work together to protect every child's right to education, even in the face of adversity.
The project has transformed much more than our school. It has changed the way we prepare for and respond to crises, strengthened the confidence of our community, and demonstrated that with knowledge, preparedness and collaboration, it is possible to ensure that no child is left behind.
I am proud to say that we are no longer simply a school vulnerable to natural disasters. We are now a resilient school, better prepared to face future challenges and committed to providing every child with the opportunity to learn and thrive.