Sowing Seeds of Hope: A Widow’s Road to Recovery
Sowing seeds and harvesting crops was a way of life for Rosita and her family in Mozambique.
As a widow and mother of 8 children and 2 granddaughters, farming was key to their very survival. With many mouths to feed, Rosita, 45, worked hard to provide for her large family. Her older children helped her and also sought other manual labor jobs to supplement their household income. At times, it was barely enough to feed everyone.
“I cannot estimate how much I can sell and make monthly, because I don’t always [have] produce to sell,” Rosita shared. “My family is big, therefore I don’t always produce surplus to sell.
Though the harvest may have been unpredictable, they were grateful for their fields and crops.
Losing It All
Sadly, unbeknownst to them, tragedy was on its way in the form of a devastating cyclone. In March 2019, Cyclone Idai ravaged Rosita’s community and much of Mozambique.
In mere minutes, the cyclone destroyed her maize and sorghum crops, her home, and her livestock.
She lost everything.
Families in her community didn’t fare any better. The cyclone also destroyed schools, health centers, roads, bridges, and more.
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Rosita and her children had to live in a 40-foot container of goods for two weeks, alongside other families.
It was a desperate situation — they survived by eating floating corn that came from other farms in the community.
“This was a very difficult period for me and my family, but we had to do it in order to survive,” said Rosita.
A Gift of Seeds
The rain and wind from the cyclone may have been strong, but so was Rosita’s determination.
She began to rebuild her house using local materials and managed to put up a single-room structure. She then went back to her fields, but realized she didn’t have seeds to begin growing again.
Fortunately, friends like you made it possible for Food for the Hungry (FH) to provide emergency assistance to families in Mozambique immediately after the cyclone hit.
To Rosita’s great relief, her family was registered in the emergency relief program. She and 300 other households received seeds and farming tools from FH. The seeds were comprised of maize, beans, and peanuts. The tools included a hoe and machete.
This small gift of seeds was more than enough to get Rosita and her family started on the road to recovery.
It not only promised a future harvest of nutritious food, but gave them renewed hope.
FH staff also provided training on land preparation, planting, weeding, pest control, harvesting, and post-harvest management. This training was conducted in three phases and was facilitated by FH field staff and extension officers from the Ministry of Agriculture. Rosita took these trainings seriously and adopted all she learned in her farm.
A New Way Forward
Rosita was so grateful to be able to resume her livelihood of farming. This time she was also planting hope for her family’s future.
“This project equipped us with the resources and skills to continue to build our livelihoods …. with this support, I am confident that my family will not go hungry. I hope that more projects like this will come to our community to help more people.”
Thank you for making this stories like this possible through your generous support! Help even more families like Rosita’s sow seeds of hope today.
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