In March 2025, a solar-powered water system was inaugurated in Paquitequete, Pemba’s oldest and most densely populated neighborhood, home to thousands of displaced families. This transformative project now provides clean drinking water to 30,000 residents—an essential service in a community where water scarcity and poor sanitation have long threatened public health.

The system features a 300,000-liter underground reservoir, a 30,000-liter elevated tank, and five solar-powered distribution stations. It reduces reliance on unsafe, saline water sources and ensures sustainable access through a locally managed water committee.

This initiative is especially impactful in Mozambique, where only 63% of the population has access to basic water services and just 38% to basic sanitation, according to 2022 data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint Monitoring Program (JMP). In Paquitequete, these challenges are intensified by rapid population growth and displacement due to conflict in Cabo Delgado.

Aligned with Mozambique’s National Development Strategy 2025–2044 and the Resilience and Integrated Development Program for Northern Mozambique (PREDIN), the project directly contributes to reducing disease and child mortality, while promoting long-term resilience and dignity.