Our Pillars

Human Capital Development Pillar

Persistent gaps in early childhood development, education, and youth employability hold Cabo Delgado back. Under this pillar, the Foundation invests in the people, infrastructure, and services that give communities a foundation to grow, through three programmatic areas: Early Childhood Development; Primary and Secondary Education and Alphabetization; and Youth Skilling and Employability.

Early Childhood Development

Investing in early childhood yields some of the highest returns for societal development- research conducted by the World Bank has shown that high-quality early childhood programs can yield up to $17 in societal returns for every $1 invested. In a context where chronic malnutrition and child mortality remain high, it lays the foundation for long-term cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being, while also creating a critical entry point for broader community engagement. In line with the national strategy for early childhood development, the Foundation promotes community-based infrastructure and equipment, specialized training for local caregivers and educators, and integrated interventions in nutrition, vaccination, and cognitive development. These efforts are complemented by social job creation and community volunteering schemes. Beyond the direct impact on children, the program engages mothers, parents, and the wider community, creating platforms for additional benefits such as birth registration, maternal health, and reproductive health.

Primary and Secondary Education and Alphabetization

With high illiteracy and school dropout rates – especially among girls – there is an urgent need to break cycles of exclusion and promote access and retention for greater social and economic mobility, resilience, and future participation. The main objective is to keep children in school, with a particular emphasis on girls in both primary and secondary education.

These efforts are designed to create inclusive, equitable, and quality learning environments that empower individuals and communities, while addressing the structural barriers that hinder educational progress in Cabo Delgado.

Youth Skilling and Employability

Labour market constraints and low education levels make it essential to expand access to skills training and livelihood opportunities. The Foundation supports specialized training in sectors with both low capacity and high job creation potential—such as engineering, health, renewable energy, tourism, and education.

This includes investments in training infrastructure and equipment, vocational and tertiary scholarship schemes, internship programs, and paid community volunteering. Special attention is given to designing community-based schemes that are inclusive of unskilled and illiterate youth, ensuring no one is left behind.

By equipping young people with relevant skills and connecting them to employment pathways, the Foundation aims to foster a generation of engaged, productive youth who actively contribute to their communities’ development.

Economic Diversification Pillar

Cabo Delgado’s economy is fragile. Agriculture is dominated by smallholders with little market access, fisheries are underused, and limited energy and connectivity keep communities and businesses isolated. Under this pillar, the Foundation targets these structural bottlenecks directly through three programmatic areas: Access to Energy; Community Development & Resilience; and Support to Employment Generating Private Sector.

Access to Energy

Access to energy is a critical enabler of economic activity and social services. Yet access remains deeply uneven: while Mozambique’s national electrification rate reached 60.1% in 2024, rural access stands at just 6%, and in a province like Cabo Delgado the gap is wider still. The Foundation supports initiatives that address both off-grid and on-grid energy needs, while also promoting clean cooking solutions.

As a corporately initiated institution, the Foundation is uniquely positioned to support the Government’s “Energy for All” Program, which targets universal electricity access by 2030. It promotes off-grid collective and individual solutions in selected communities and facilitates access to compressed natural gas. These efforts aim to close the energy gap, improve quality of life, and unlock new opportunities for inclusive development.

Community Development and Resilience

Building sustainable and empowered communities requires targeted investments in economic activities and financial literacy. The Foundation supports initiatives that strengthen community capacity to save, invest, and access financial products tailored to their development needs.

Support is based on community priorities and includes:

  • Cash-for-work and rapid employment schemes
  • Seed investments (in cash or kind) for small businesses and cooperatives in key sectors such as construction, transport, creative industries, agriculture, agro-processing, fisheries, and renewables
  • Community investment and development funds using the Community-Driven Development (CDD) model, which empowers communities to identify, plan, and implement their own projects

The Foundation also looks to promote financial literacy and work with microfinance institutions to develop products suited to the realities of rural and underserved communities.

Support to Employment Generating Private Sector

The Foundation supports the private sector as a key driver of job creation and economic growth. It provides financial, risk-sharing, and capacity-building tools to help local businesses grow sustainably and meet market demands.

Initial efforts focus on a select group of local enterprises operating in Cabo Delgado, helping them meet universal compliance standards and progressively integrate into more competitive markets. The Foundation also promotes an employment-generating impact financing model, using capital to drive positive social outcomes.

Investments prioritize businesses with strong potential for job creation, scalability, market resilience, and social impact, moving beyond subsistence to sustainable economic growth.