Josefa from Kalulu: thanks to new classrooms, she can dream differently

Josefa lives with her parents, Firmino and Paulina, and her eight siblings in Kalulu, a village of around 850 inhabitants in Benguela Province in south-western Angola. Most families here live from small-scale farming.

Benguela suffers from recurring droughts and the effects of the “El Niño” weather phenomenon. When the rainy season is too dry, the soil can no longer absorb water, and there is a risk of severe erosion. For smallholder farmers who depend on the harvest from their fields, this can become life-threatening.

At six o’clock in the morning, before school, Josefa is already helping out in the fields. In the afternoon, at around 4 p.m., she works with her parents again on the nearby plots. On top of that come the household chores: she washes the dishes, cleans, fetches water and does her homework.

She shares a dream for the future with her twin brother, Camilo: both of them want to become nurses. Despite the challenges they face every day, they are pursuing this goal with great determination.

At school, Josefa receives a nutritious meal from ForAfrika. For many children in Kalulu, it is much more than just food: it is a chance to get an education.

“On days when the family is struggling more than usual, this meal is the only one they get all day.”

That is how Josefa’s father describes it. The school meal not only improves the children’s nutrition, but also encourages regular school attendance and creates better conditions for learning.

The current school year has given Josefa new hope. New classrooms have opened in the settlement of Canjola, so she can continue her education without having to leave her family.

This was not yet possible for her older siblings. Some of them had to leave school after Grade 7, because there was no money for food and transport to Alto Catombela.

Josefa knows that the road to her chosen career will remain hard. Even so, she looks to the future with confidence. Her daily life reflects the determination of many children in rural Angola to continue their education, even in difficult circumstances. Another example is Maria’s story from the village of Lusite.