Reconstruction and Construction of Schools and Educational Infrastructure

Rebuilding and expanding safe learning environments across Cabo Delgado

Cabo Delgado’s education system faces some of the most severe structural constraints in the country. Of the province’s 1,010 schools, only 867 were operational in 2025 – 143 remained closed due to insecurity. Classrooms are split almost evenly between conventional and temporary structures, more than 650 classes are taught outdoors, and most schools run multiple shifts to cope with average class sizes of 70 students in primary and 76 in secondary.

More than half of schools lack water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure -conditions that directly affect safety and attendance, particularly for girls. In December 2024, Cyclone Chido added to existing damage, damaging or destroying 250 schools across the province.

Infrastructure alone cannot guarantee better learning outcomes, but it remains a necessary condition for children to access and remain in school. Where deficits are this severe, rebuilding is the first step.

Sources: Provincial Directorate of Education, Cabo Delgado

The program rehabilitates damaged schools, builds new classroom blocks and educational facilities, and equips schools and libraries across Cabo Delgado. It works through the Provincial Directorate of Education and follows the technical standards of the Ministry of Education and Culture, combining post-cyclone reconstruction, the expansion of overcrowded schools, the construction of new infrastructure in priority communities, and improved access to books and reading spaces.

All interventions are aligned with national frameworks – National Development Strategy Pillars II and III, the Education Strategic Plan (2020–2029), the Resilience and Integrated Development Program (PREDIN), and the Cabo Delgado Reconstruction Plan (PRCD) — and are integrated into the National Education System.

6 schools · Pemba & Mecúfi ᭼ Completed in  2025

In December 2024, Cyclone Chido damaged or destroyed 250 schools across the province. This emergency initiative focused on rehabilitating six severely affected schools in Pemba and Mecúfi Districts, restoring safe learning environments for more than 15,500 students and protecting the continuity of their education.

Pemba City

In coordination with other development partners, the Foundation is supporting part of the construction and equipping of Maringanha Secondary School in Pemba. The Foundation’s contribution includes completing a block of nine classrooms, providing school furniture for the entire school, and external works including fencing and lighting, in partnership with the Provincial Directorate of Education of Cabo Delgado.

When completed, the school will provide adequate classrooms, better learning conditions, and the infrastructure needed to sustain secondary education in one of Pemba’s neighborhoods.

Palma District

The school in Maganja will be rehabilitated, expanded, and equipped to become the first fully serviced basic school in the country. The intervention improves infrastructure and learning conditions and is designed to boost enrolment, retention, and academic performance in a vulnerable community.

Palma District

A new school is being built in Mondlane to expand access to basic education in Palma District, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Provincial Directorate of Education.

Mecúfi District

Murrébué School is being expanded with new teaching and support facilities to increase its capacity and relieve overcrowding.

Mecúfi Secondary School

A gymnasium is being built at Mecúfi Secondary School, adding a dedicated space for sports and physical education.

11 districts · Cabo Delgado

In a province where six in ten adults cannot read or write, giving children access to books, materials, and dedicated reading spaces is not a luxury – it is part of the foundation for a generation that can break that cycle. Research consistently shows that school libraries make a measurable difference: better access encourages students to read more frequently and with greater understanding, and library improvements in low-income areas lead to clear gains in literacy.

Source: INE; UNICEF Mozambique; World Bank Human Capital Index. International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA); World Bank — research on school library impact on literacy.

As no standard design previously existed for this type of facility in the province, the Foundation worked with the Provincial Directorate of Public Works to develop a model adapted to local conditions. New libraries are built with locally produced ecological bricks and local labor, including parents of children attending the schools. The initiative is aligned with the national Vamos Ler (Let’s Read) program.