In May, DREAM Programme has been providing food support to the population of the Chimbabva district plagued by a major food crisis.
There are three DREAM Centres - Mangunde, Estaquinha and Barada, a reference point for a large rural area of the country - in the district of Chimbabava, Province of Sofala, a remote area of Mozambique.
It is here that doctors, nurses and DREAM activists carry out excellent health and patient care work. Many of the people travel many kilometres in order to be visited and to be able to collect their medicines. Sometimes they walk all night long.
The DREAM centres of Mangunde, Estaquinha and Barada are surprising because of their capacity to welcome people and for the home care that the activists practise cycling around the various villages. Patients feel better and well cared for.
This area struggles with severe food insecurity, caused in large part by the effects of climate change: poor rainfall results in severe droughts.
In 2019 the area had been suffering from a lack of rainfall, the situation deteriorated enormously after the cyclone Idai. Since then food shortages have drastically increased, drought has destroyed crops and livestock has been decimated. Small farmers, who cultivate plots of land barely enough to feed their families, have suffered the most.
In addition, the disappearance of crops has increased food prices, making it difficult to buy food.
The war in Ukraine has complicated the situation further.
Humanitarian organisations that supported this population in the past are now unable to maintain food aid.
The DREAM Programme has responded to this emergency with the distribution of food: food parcels dispensed to frail patients, malnourished people and those suffering from tuberculosis.
The distribution in May will reach 300 patients and their families, and plans are now underway for other distributions in the coming months.
The three DREAM Centres of Mangunde; Estaquinha and Barada are celebrating, food is a therapy: Isabel, a patient of the centre, said: "Today I feel better, DREAM loves us and takes care of us, it brought us the therapy, the vaccine and today a food parcel.... thank you DREAM".
