Welcome to our newsletter with updates the past month from projects covering education, health, agriculture & environment, and integrated community development. 

Every year hundreds of new teachers graduate from our 15 Teacher Training Schools. This year was no exception, with 1,110 young men and women successfully completing their three year training as primary school teachers. Here are some pictures from a very happy day at the Teacher Training Schools.  ADPP trained teachers make a positive impact not only in the classroom but also in the wider community. They prioritize social and environmental responsibility by addressing global challenges such as poverty, inequality, and climate change while promoting values such as empathy, respect, and tolerance. 15,825 primary school teachers have graduated since 1995.

Cross-sector collaboration is just one component of this broad project that seeks to raise the level of primary education. The Municipal Directors of Education and of Health, together with the Inspectors of the two departments, visited Kalohanga School Complex in Baia Farta, Benguela, which reported high levels of pupil absenteeism and exam failure. Illnesses among the children was one of the main causes identified. The Municipal Health Directorate then worked to make sure the local health centre received medicines for the various illnesses that were hindering school attendance and pass rates. Rapid intervention is a hallmark of the SMS project, which serves to support the municipal authorities and schools in taking concrete actions to improve education. 

On November 22 we celebrated National Educators Day and the key role our many teachers and trainers play at our projects all over Angola. Their tireless efforts and commitment to shaping minds contribute significantly to the development of Angola, enriching lives with the power of knowledge.

Awareness raising is a crucial step towards fostering a culture of safe practices and well-being in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In a concerted effort to promote sexual health awareness in Benguela, a recent ADPP initiative at municipal markets engaged individuals in candid conversations about sexual health, safe practices, and the importance of using condoms as a preventive measure against HIV/AIDS as well as other STDs. Community health agents handed out condoms, gave talks, and spoke with stall holders and customers alike.

TCE is about everyone having the knowledge and means to reduce the risk of catching preventable diseases, together with awareness of the importance of seeking treatment in the event of illness.  In Cuanza Norte health agents were busy as ever this month reminding households about disease prevention. With the project coming to a close, it is the community that has to take responsibility for the well-being of all. In Malanje, school pupils learn about disease prevention plus the signs and symptoms of endemic illnesses. Learning about prevention from an early age means children can contribute to their own and to their families’ health.

Rural communities have restricted possibilities to attend health centres in the event of illness, and even fewer incentives to do so to be vaccinated. That is why mobile Covid-19 vaccination teams have been vital for extending coverage to hundreds of thousands of people who would otherwise miss out.

TB DOT-C in Benguela is about breaking the chain of infection. Prevention and treatment are both key in breaking the links that perpetuate the spread of disease. This month, as every month, the project carried out awareness raising, screening of suspected cases, and home visits to beneficiaries under follow-up. Community Agents were working in Bolonguela, a scattered rural settlement in Chongoroi Municipality. The most effective strategy to ensure adherence to treatment is directly observed therapy (DOT). DOT means that a designated person watches the TB patient swallow each dose of the prescribed drugs. Home visits to TB patients are a way of both checking on and at the same time encouraging patients, as here in Bocoio.

Quibala Social Action Department invited Women Farmers Club Cuanza Sul to take part in a session on soap production. Training took place on 28 and 29 November as part of a Local Integrated Development programme aimed at fighting poverty. Farmers Club members, male as well as female, learned to make soap and received both a certificate and a soap-making kit at the end of the course. For smallholder farmers, any supplementary income is always welcome. Rural communities also benefit from locally available soap.

Under the motto one plant one life, Viana Verde project leader Manuel Samuma organized a tree planting campaign in Block J, Zango II b. He was joined by members of residents' committees, a representative of Zango District Administration, Environment Section, Mr Floriano João, Youth Brigade members, students from ADPP Polytechnic Zango, members of the CNJ, members of ANATA (Association of Angolan Taxi Drivers, and members of the community. Working in three different groups, more than 50 people spent the morning planting mango trees, avocado trees, acacias and others species that will literally make this southerly part of Viana Municipality greener, at the same time as helping improve the environment for the inhabitants.

25 more women in rural Cubal, Benguela, received their ID cards this month thanks to support from the CAPI project (Communities in Action for Peace and Inclusion). Being able to prove their identity, which is recognised as a cornerstone of participation in modern life, puts them on an equal footing now and in the future.

635 participants in Module 2 of the Adult Literacy program in Cubal graduated from the course this month. The project organized a ceremony to coincide with National Educator's Day on 22 November. Cubal Municipal Vice Administrator was among the guests who gave a speech on the occasion.

You can watch part of the ceremony by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih2oWaBq7bw

Here, the project leader talks about CAPI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDVD0GdY088

Penovano Chungo, president of Hailundo Farmers Field School in Okafitu, which is in Evale Commune, Cuanhama Municipality, explained on camera about the importance of the project for his community. Okafitu is one of 34 communities benefiting from the ECOSAN project being implemented by ADPP in partnership with COPDESPA, the Angolan Institute of Agronomic Investigation and the Angolan Institute of Agrarian Development in Cunene. No initiative is too small for the thousands of people facing hunger and malnutrition caused by persistent drought. Resources such as honey and wild fruits are both nutritious supplements as well as potential sources of income after processing.

You can watch it here: https://www.facebook.com/100064618487034/videos/1759681037811369

Members of the Water & Sanitation Groups at the FRESAN project in Cunene, implemented by ADPP in partnership with Codespa, were present at a provincial Rural Water and Sanitation meeting. The W&S groups shared their experience in managing water points, in particular springs, water holes, and water brought from the river into the interior of the community, The workshop was organized by Development Workshop and the Municipal Directors of Energy and Water, and traditional authorities were also present.

Graduation ceremonies are always a moment of pride and celebration. The 80 women from Estalagem in Luanda who graduated this month from the Dressmaking, Entrepreneurship and Urban Agriculture course, were in celebratory mood as they were about to receive their certificates for successful completion of the course. They also showed pride in their achievements, wearing the dresses they themselves had made for the occasion.

Thank you to all the partners who support our activities.

VISION
ADPP seeks to support people in developing the vision and capacity to contribute to development, for themselves, their communities, and the nation.

MISSION

• To promote solidarity between people
• To promote the economic and social development of Angola
• To promote a better life for the underprivileged and those most in need

ADPP (Ajuda de Desenvolivmento de Povo para Povo) stands for Development Aid from People to People. ADPP Angola works in the fields of education, health, agriculture and environment, and integrated community development.