He was speaking at a rally in the locality of Chigodole, in the Vanduzi administrative post, in the central province of Manica, in the latest stage of his provincial visits known as the open and inclusive presidency.
Poverty will not disappear of its own accord, Guebuza said. Only with all Mozambicans united will we be able to defeat our common enemy, and so each of us must continue to play our role in reducing the problems we still face.
Poverty expressed itself in several forms, he continued, and some of these can be overcome if citizens are firmly determined to improve their living conditions bit by bit.
Lack of adequate food, lack of clothing, lack of decent housing these were all expressions of poverty, he said. But using the resources the country possesses, much could be done to fight against these expressions of poverty, by producing more food and building better houses.
The clay exists in Manica to make good bricks, stressed Guebuza, which could build not only improved houses, but also more schools and hospitals, reducing the distances children had to walk to reach their classes, or women had to travel to find a maternity ward.
Indeed, the latter was one of the problems raised by residents of Chigodole, who told Guebuza that women have to walk for 12 kilometres before reaching the clinic in Vanduzi town.
The President stressed that everyone should be aware that they have a role to play in fighting poverty, starting with improving their own conditions. Each one of us should ask ourselves what have I done to defeat poverty, starting with my own poverty?, he urged.
In Chigodole, Guebuza also planted trees with members of the community, and visited the local community forest.
Post published in: Africa News