On July 5, a delegation of the Presidency of the Italian Republic met some beneficiaries of the Rigenera project, implemented in Maputo thanks to funds from AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation).
Laura Mattarella, daughter of Sergio Mattarella - President of the Italian Republic, visited the ongoing activities in the Chamanculo neighborhood on the outskirts of Maputo, together with Carmelita Rita Namashulua, Minister of Education and Human Development in Mozambique, and Paolo Enrico Sertoli, Director of the AICS office in Maputo.
The project, aimed primarily at women and young people, takes its name from its main objective: to regenerate one of the oldest informal neighborhoods in Mozambique's capital city by involving a community of about 28,000 people and its representatives (associations, universities, local authorities). All of Rigenera's actions are in fact designed and implemented in such a way as to ensure their sustainability by local actors.
It thus takes the form of a series of integrated urban regeneration actions that aim to respond more broadly to the needs of the entire community, fostering inclusiveness, resilience, socio-economic development and environmental protection.
AVSI, which has been present in Mozambique since 2010 with 27 ongoing projects, accompanied the delegation to visit the Unidade 13 neighborhood school, recently renovated thanks to Italian funds, and the nearby , which was inaugurated on this very occasion. These are just two examples of the spaces "regenerated" thanks to the project, whose activities are implemented by AVSI Mozambique in collaboration with Architects Without Borders Spain, COSPE, E35 Foundation, the Municipality of Milan and Khandlelo Association.
Laura Morisio, Director of AVSI Mozambique, explains that the Chamanculo neighborhood, which has developed according to a haphazard and unplanned urban structure, is densely populated and characterized by poor accessibility to basic services such as water.
"Today, with our project, youth employment has increased thanks to training courses, new economic activities have sprung up thanks to funding for local small businesses, two community kindergartens have been upgraded and socio-educational activities have been promoted for youth and children, the neighborhood's historical and cultural heritage has been enhanced, and urban waste management has improved. An entire community has been reborn," she stresses.