International development is a global effort to create equal opportunities, strengthen communities, and build sustainable solutions, ensuring a better future for all. It showcases the contributions we make together to address global challenges and empower individuals and families, fostering resilience and long-term progress.
Mateteu and his family in Monapo are one of those families that are able to create new opportunities for a better future because of the support received through international development.
Mateteu's sense of accomplishment is evident. He is no longer merely surviving. He is building a brighter future for his family. “I am so motivated. Now my challenge is expanding our land,” Mateteu reflects.
Mateteu, a dedicated farmer in Mozambique’s Monapo community, once struggled to provide food for his family. On his small plot of land, he grew beans, maize, and cassava, but the harvest was never enough. Providing for his family was a daily challenge, often forcing him to skip his own meals so his children could eat.
“We could barely make it from one harvest to the next,” he recalls.
With no savings and an unpredictable harvest, Mateteu couldn’t plan for the future. Extra money was immediately spent on urgent needs, leaving nothing for emergencies, investments, or schooling for his children.
In 2023, Mateteu and his family's lives changed when he began receiving valuable financial literacy training as a result of World Vision's support in their community. Because of this training and education, Mateteu was equipped with financial literacy skills. He joined a savings group, where he learned how to manage his finances, invest in his farm and save for his family's future.
With his new knowledge, Mateteu expanded his farm to a full hectare and introduced sesame, a high-value cash crop. With this, he was able to increase his income, making it possible for him to support his children’s education.
Lucinda, Mateteu's daughter, shows her father what she is learning at school.
The results were life-changing. For the first time, Mateteu’s farm produced enough food to sustain his family. The additional income from sesame eased other burdens, too. “It’s no longer tough to buy school materials for my children,” he explains. His children now have the essentials they need—pencils, notebooks, uniforms—and they attend school not only without worry but with excitement. Mateteu's daughter Lucinda is always especially excited to show her dad what she's learned in school as she enthusiastically absorbs all that she's taught and is more inspired than ever to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. This dream and the dream that her family has for a better future are now within reach because of the real change made possible through international development.
Mateteu and his family's lives have been forever changed thanks to World Vision's support in their community of Monapo. Education is now available to them. His children can now confidently pursue their education and dreams, opening new possibilities for their future, while Mateteu can continue to invest in the growth of both his farm and his children.
Written by Gianina Li Pimentel and Christina Cook, with files from Antonio Massipa.