ADPP – Cantina de Soja – Sofala

Final Report
D.I Name: Andrea Pérez
School: Richmond Vale Academy
Time in the project: March 15th 2010 to August 21st 2010
D.I’s home location: EPF Lamego, Nhamatanda

Project Description
In Farmers Club Sofala, I worked with the project named
Cantina de Soja. This project operates in 3 Districts:
Dondo, Nhamatanda and Gorongosa in the province of Gorongosa
Sofala in Central Mozambique. Cantina de Soja works
with 50 canteens and its headquarters are located in
Dondo.
Dondo
The main focus of each canteen is to feed 15 orphans
one meal a day, feeding 750 orphans all together. The
Nhamatanda
project also aims to promote the consumption of soy in
poor communities and to improve the nutritional intake of
the population while offering soy dishes at affordable
pricing. Additionally, it betters the qualifications and living
conditions of the volunteers working at the canteens and
in the canteen vegetable gardens by giving trainings and
opportunities on business, agriculture, cooking, sales and
health topics. Furthermore, the project also promotes the
creation of a small business or store thru a loan system for
each canteen.

In order to help fulfill and support the canteens

objectives; as a DI, I worked with 1 project leader, 3
project coordinators, 3 supervisors, 5 interns and 1
Orphans playing at the Canteen
agricultural worker. Based on location, distances and
schedules I focused my work mostly in Nhamatanda
while occasionally working in Gorongosa and, since
another DI was responsible of working in Dondo, I
never worked directly with the last district.

With Cantina de Soja I worked in the

following areas: Meeting at the Headquarters
1. Health carnets
I collaborated in the process of making health
carnets in the districts of Nhamatanda and
Gorongosa.

In Nhamatanda: I took pictures, gathered all the ID

documents and registered in the hospital the health
carnets of 81 people.

In Gorongosa: I took the picture of 66

volunteers and other workers will take care
of the rest of the process which is
organizing people to get tested and
treated plus registering and handing out
the carnets.
The 81 health carnets
are finally ready! I also took care of editing, printing and organizing the 147 pictures.

For Nhamatanda, making the carnets was a slow process that took 5 months. Transportation,
logistics, communication and infrastructure complexities where gradually overcome. Since
many visits to the canteens where required to take pictures and collect Ids from the
volunteers and, at the hospital, several meetings and letters where required to finalize the
process. In Gorongosa the process of taking 66 pictures took 1 month.

2. Training about Soja

As the project was constantly planning to promote the
consumption of soy and since I have a background in graphic
design, I created one training about soy which explained about
the services provided by the canteen, the dish prices and the
nature and health facts of soy, as well of the way of preparation
of soy meals.

Furthermore, another aim of this training was to educate people - in a friendly - way about
the origin of soy. Many people think that soy meat comes from human flesh and, therefore,
refuse to eat it.

As shown in the picture in the right, for each canteen, an A3

poster was made to enclose all the information mentioned
above. Also with the same design, 5 A4 papers where printed to
post in different key places on each community. The poster was
made in a very visual way for illiterate and non Portuguese
speakers to understand easily.

In Nhamatanda, the training was made by gathering all the

volunteers at each canteen and then talking about what is
shown in the poster. After that, I would go with the president of
the canteen to the nearest school, market, hospital and mill to
talk to and train the people in charge of these locations and, in
 their presence, paste the smaller posters in their work
areas for many people to see.

In Gorongosa, the presidents received the training

and printed material with the objective of training
their volunteers and posting the papers in their own
communities. In Dondo, the other DI gave the
training and posted the signs in the community.

3. Training about Cholera

Because Cholera is an epidemic that still affects African communities and because places
where food is served can be a dangerous spreading or contamination source, I made a
training about Cholera.

The training consisted in 4 big posters

and talked about the severity,
symptoms, causes, prevention and
treatment of the disease. It also
encouraged the use of water
purifying methods.

All trainings about soy and cholera

where translated to the local
language, Massena, by the
president or the supervisor present.

These trainings where done in the canteens of Nhamatanda and Gorongosa in

collaboration with the supervisors and interns working in these districts.
4. Moringa Trees
To promote the usage of the nutritious leaves of Moringa in the soy
dishes, I helped distribute Moringa seedlings. These seedlings suffered a
lot from the transportation conditions, goats and kids that destroyed
them and the lack of watering or care from the volunteers at the
canteens. Therefore, I was advised to plant stronger branches instead.
For these reason, during food distribution the project gave Moringa to
most canteens. And others, the volunteers collected them or I gave
them out.

So far, in Nhamatanda and Gorongosa, most

canteens have Moringa branches and
seedlings growing. The few canteens that do
not have them it’s because of lack of space
or care.

Planting branches The usage of Moringa stills needs to be

is much more encouraged, yet unfortunately, the plants are
efficient than too small to do so now.
planting seedlings

5. New menus
To promote the cooking and selling of dishes, I made menus for the
district of Gorongosa. Most canteens received a custom made menu
and, the ones that did not have many dishes or where not visited at
the moment I was gathering the information; received a blank menu
for them to fill out.

Additionally, Nhamatanda and Dondo will receive blank menus in

the presidents meetings of August. In Nhamatanda, some canteens
have old menus from a former DI that can be updated.

6. Soy Promotion days

I attended to 2 soy promotion days in
Muda Estação, Nhamatanda and in
Canda, Gorongosa. Both canteens and
district workers choose different
approaches to carry on with the event.
One did quick trainings about soy and
direct invitations to the community while
the other used games, prices and music
to attract costumers.
 I believe both approaches need to be used to make
appealing promotion days, unfortunately, during my work
in the project; no other promotion days where made to
put in practice such experiences.

Promotion days are important for community awareness and support

7. Loan follow ups

During the first loan returns, I helped interns and supervisors
collect, sign off and store the money before it was delivered to
the offices in Dondo.

I also helped give advice on how and what products to buy

and talked about the importance and necessity to pay for the
loans on time and completely at many canteens.

8. Food Distribution
For 2 times, I accompanied the food distribution team into
the canteens in Nhamatanda and Gorongosa. I now can
see how time and energy consuming this process can be.

It has also taught me how technology and communications

is necessary for an easier and more efficient distribution. It is
hard and time consuming to tell everyone that a distribution
in happening with time, money, transportation and cell
phone limitations.

9. Canteen and Project Meetings

During the 6 months I worked in the
project, I attended every other
Saturday to the general meetings in
Dondo. Furthermore, together with
the supervisors and interns, we held
weekly meetings at the canteens. In these meetings I usually lead trainings or took pictures
while the other workers resolved or talked about the decisions made in the general meetings
and various difficulties or concerns the volunteers had with the store, food distribution, loan
payments and cooking schedules, among other topics. I also attended to 2 president/district
meetings in Nhamatanda and Gorongosa.

10. Water Pump in Nharuchonga

One of our most successful canteens, Nharuchonga, had the initiative to open a water
pump in order to sell water to the community and have unlimited access to water. An One
Word University intern and I, started the process to get a water pump installed.

After making a petition letter and meeting with different people in Beira and Nhamatanda
from the state organization - Agua Rural – we received a working plan from this organization.
Unfortunately, their proposal was to expensive and the project reached to the conclusion
that making a water pump thru the government is impossible, neither the project nor the
volunteers can afford it.

However, a project coordinator has included the name of the community in a different
water pump distribution project and hopefully the community can have better access to
water someday.

11. AGSP and Child Aid

During the first 2 weeks that I was in Lamego, I spent my
time in an AGSP training at Child Aid.

This training gave me a deeper

understanding of the work ADPP
does; on how development for
a big group of beneficiaries is
more complex and it gave a more profound glimpse at the
Mozambican culture I was going to work with.

12. Market space

While the canteen in Balança, Dondo was being built up, it had some delays and
complications, so the volunteers had no place to cook but their own homes.

When the project started looking for a place to rent inside the market area, I fund out about
places available in the municipal market building. As a result, I talked with the governor of
Dondo, made a petition letter and started the process of renting a place in this building. A
few weeks later and, with the follow up of the project coordinator, the market space was
rented allowing this canteen to have a great location with good and discounted rent fee.
13. HIV awareness and testing event
Other DIs had the initiative to organize a 2 day HIV awareness and testing event in Lamego.
Here, as a strong motivation factor, people where given a plate of food after getting tested.

More than 200 people attended to the event and it was well organized. It had an HIV
awareness theater done by students of the vocational school in EPF Nhamatanda; a
Capoeira and traditional dancing done by children from the local orphanage and a picture
show done by the DIs. This showed me that such initiatives can be created by DIs in Africa
successfully. During this event I helped mostly with the distribution of food.

14. Help packages/personal and project investigation

With the help of friends and family, I received money to help people in Africa. After much
consideration, I decided to give 25 families of single or widowed mothers a package with
the following items:

• Mosquito net – To prevent sickness or death by malaria to their family members or

themselves.

• Seeds – To improve their nutrition intake and to provide another source of income
generating activities. For these I gave them 5 kind of seeds (onion, cabbage, 2 types
of couve and lettuce)

• Soap – To promote hygiene and because, after working in the canteens I have seen
that Mozambican low income families like and need to receive as an essential help.

These 25 families are not related to the canteen orphans or volunteers. When I decided I
could only help 25 families of the 750 project orphans – to avoid hurt or angry feelings - I was
advised by the project coordinators to make a package for all the 750 orphans or to none of
them. Therefore, based on lack of money and resources, I decided to work independently
from Cantina de Soja in this initiative.

In addition, because the project is finishing in October, I concluded that my investigation

week was not a vital necessity for the project. However, I realized that my participation in
more trainings and the culmination of the health carnets was. For this reason, I decided to
stay and make an alternative “project and personal investigation” approach. As a result, I
made this help package as a study on how product distribution and election of beneficiaries
is done.

I can now see that product selection and distribution is not an easy thing to neither do nor
organize. When there are so many people in need of help and when there are some many
ways of helping; figuring out what or how to give and who to give it to it’s a very difficult
thing to do. Trying to make donations self sustainable and useful is the key.

Final observations

Project Overview
Cantina de Soja originated and was directed by TCE a
few years ago. It is my opinion that, in these last 2 years,
since the project is being directed by Farmers Clubs, it has
improved a lot and has gained a much needed structure.

Actions like:
• Building up of well thought and well constructed
cement canteens
• Distribution of plates, glasses, chairs, tables and
other basic equipment
• Encouragement and follow up in the creation canteen gardens
• Setting of a loan system and a store,
• Training about soy, cooking and health
• Making of canteen associations and partnerships
Are actions that needed to be done at the beginning of the project and not at the end of it,
in order to help the canteens to truly do well.
 After many visits to the canteens and
attending to the many general meetings, I
now realize that human misbehaviors are the
major problems and conflicts afflicting the
success of the canteens. Over these months I
have seen canteens struggle based on
corruption, hidden agendas, gossip, laziness
and lack of motivation among the workers of
the group. Especially, I have repeatedly seen
how abuse of power and corruption from the
presidents of the canteens constantly
overwhelm most volunteers and supervisors. For these reason, I would recommend a stronger
supervision and training on human dynamics as a necessary measure. Such as having
perhaps 3 supervisors in each district and, most importantly, efficient removal of the “bad
apples” volunteering (and many times stealing) at the canteens is vital.

Alternatively, making more district meetings - instead of general ones - can be more
valuable and efficient to the supervisors and interns. Instead of superficially treating them
every other Saturday at Dondo; the problems and concerns of each district can be given
enough time and can be better resolved with the people directly related to them in district
meetings.

I also believe that more canteen trainings (such as sustainability, leadership and
communication skills) and visits from volunteers to successful canteens; can help canteens
gain perspective, vision and understanding of the potential success canteens can have. I
can see DIs in this area as a vital part of their work.

Conclusions
It has been highly rewarding to work in ADPP,
Mozambique and Cantina de Soja. The
project leaders, coordinators, supervisors and
interns where welcoming and collaborative.

Based on my own initiatives and the ideas and

the support many of my coworkers have given
me, I have been able to do and learn a lot.

I am very happy that my project; in

comparison with EPF or Vocational schools,
gave me the opportunity to constantly go around and visit different canteens and
communities. I feel that this allowed me to get a greater grasp of the impact of the project,
poverty and the culture of Mozambique.

I feel that working with a big and international organization such as ADPP and, in a very poor
country, has given me more knowledge about how to do development work. From now on, I
have a deeper understanding of how poverty, corruption, human behavior and lack of
education – infrastructure – technology – transportation - organization skills and language
affect development. It also has shown me ways to organize people and resources to
positively aid communities and people.
I now leave Mozambique and ADPP with a strong desire to continue to do humanitarian
work in my country, Ecuador.

Andrea Pérez
August 12, 2010