In this month's edition of Xonguila, we present the third project selected in the CFAO Entrepreneurship Challenge, run in partnership with our magazine. The aim of the challenge is to showcase ten innovative projects focused on mobility and road safety over the course of the year.
This time, we shine a light on Chapateca, an initiative that stands out not only for its commitment to education but also for its dedication to spreading social awareness messages such as road safety. Chapateca is an association that aims to promote access to education through books and reading among socioeconomically vulnerable populations. Using chapas (local minibuses used as shared transport) converted into mobile libraries, Chapateca not only brings knowledge to communities but also educates the population on relevant social issues.
Chapateca's founding members, among them Shádia Gafur and Constance Fleury, are convinced that education is a fundamental right of every human being, essential for their full development and for building a more equitable society. The association works with a pedagogy that aims to develop reading and writing skills, provide access to information, stimulate imagination and creativity, facilitate free expression and critical thinking, build self-confidence and autonomy, promote inclusion and gender equality, encourage cooperation and involve parents and guardians.
This educational focus is vital in a country where the illiteracy rate is still high (18.8%) and where both rural (49.4%) and urban (50.7%) areas have limited access to books and information. Chapateca's initiative of turning chapas into mobile libraries takes knowledge and awareness directly to communities, encouraging safer behaviour on the roads and contributing to a reduction in road accidents. Its mobile libraries are equipped not only with books but also with educational materials that teach citizens, especially children and young people, how to drive safely, how to read road signs and about the dangers of drink-driving.
Besides the mobile libraries, Chapateca plans to open a network of community libraries in the peri-urban neighbourhoods of the largest cities, in coordination with local associations and public authorities. These conventional libraries will be adapted for a range of activities, creating an environment conducive to learning.
To continue and expand this essential work, Chapateca needs support. Its needs include human resources (a driver and two staff), fuel costs, materials (books, tents, cushions) and operating costs (phone credit, office expenses, supplies). Your contribution can make a significant difference in promoting education and road safety in Mozambique.
We invite all our readers to send their projects on mobility or road safety to the general email address geral@xonguila.co.mz. Your initiative could be the next to be featured in our series of articles, contributing to a safer and better-educated Mozambique.
Join us in this mission and be part of the change with Chapateca, the CFAO Group and Xonguila magazine.
