A smiling man in purple overalls and a tan-coloured utility waistcoat stands in next to a stack of compacted recycled material.

Photo: Jessica Dimande / Oxfam

Impact stories

Ezequiel's story

Meet Ezequiel, Waste Management Coordinator in Chókwè, Mozambique

Floods have caused Ezequiel problems in his community all his life. When they destroyed his house in 2013 and forced him to move to a neighbouring town, he knew something needed to be done - and was desperate to be a part of it.

Members of the Waste Committee at Chokwe Waste Centre in Mozambique pose in blue overalls and white safety helmets.

Photo: Jessica Dimande / Oxfam

Learning a new solution

Ezequiel made sure he was one of the first to join Urban Climate Adaptation - a project supported by Oxfam that brings together volunteers to identify climate challenges in their communities, and get training on how to manage it.

His group soon discovered that people throwing waste into drainage channels was causing them to overflow, worsening floods.

Together, they landed on a solution - waste management centres, where people could collect and sell waste - reducing build up so drainage could flow out.

Ezequiel, coordinator of the Solid Waste Centre, leads a community awareness activity in the 3rd neighbourhood of Chókwè.

Photo: Jessica Dimande / Oxfam

Turning trash into cash

Ezequiel’s group decided to pool their money to collect recyclable waste from the community, then compress and sell it on to cooperatives.

The project was a huge success. Now, the whole community brings broken chairs, paper, and bottles to the centre to be sorted, in return for money.

Ezequiel says: “If you know how to separate bottles on one side, paper on another, plastics on another, you take money home.”

Members of the Solid Waste Management Centre unload recyclables from a truck.

Jessica Dimande / Oxfam

Empowering an entire community

Everyone in Chókwè is on the lookout for recyclables. Even children come to the gate after school. Ezequiel noted: “The children say, “We want to earn money to buy notebooks.” So we accept what they bring.”

By collecting waste, the community has cleaned the city's drainage channels so water can flow freely, helping prevent the floods that once destroyed homes like Ezequiel's.

A sturdy white building built on strong struts, designed to shelter the most vulnerable during floods

Photo: Jessica Dimande / Oxfam

“We feel safer now."

Collecting recyclables is just one part of something bigger. With two new Waste Centres, a cyclone shelter, and a new radio early-warning system, the whole province stays alert and prepared. As Ezequiel puts it: “Now, we’re ready to prevent disasters because we’re aware. We feel safer now."

Because of support like yours, communities in Mozambique are building resistance against climate disasters, and creating more stable futures for everyone.

The most powerful thing you can do now is help Ezequiel’s voice travel further - would you pass his story on?