Little Voices, Big Change: Mozambique’s Young Sanitation Heroes

Gabriel is only eleven years old, yet he already carries heavy memories from his childhood. He grew up in Guijá, in Gaza Province, a community where proper sanitation simply did not exist and open defecation was considered normal. With endless stretches of open fields around, few saw any reason to build latrines. The consequences were inevitable: recurring diarrhoeal diseases, fragile children, and countless school days lost.

“I was always ill, with a weak body, and I didn’t even know why,” Gabriel recalls, his sad memories contrasting with the energy he radiates today.

For years, Gabriel and his peers remained trapped in this habit, unable to imagine a different way of living. But in 2023, everything changed. Gabriel, together with a group of children from his school, joined the Hygiene and Sanitation Committee established with the support of World Vision. There, they discovered something transformative: simple changes in behaviour could save lives.

The children’s enthusiasm quickly turned into action. At school, they began organising talks, raising awareness among their classmates about the importance of keeping toilets clean, washing hands regularly, and protecting everyone’s health. Within the school grounds this was manageable, but the true challenge lay beyond the classroom walls: how could they persuade the adults to change?

“We didn’t know where to start. We were born into this reality. How could we teach the grown-ups?” Gabriel remembers asking himself in those early days.

As nurse Mariza from the local health centre explained, changing cultural habits is never easy:

“Habits don’t change overnight. Communities resist a lot,” she said.

But Gabriel and his friends refused to give up. They turned to a powerful tool: the local language. Going door to door, with patience and courage, they explained in simple and relatable terms why families needed latrines, why open defecation had to end, and why handwashing mattered.

Little by little, adults began listening to those small but determined voices. At first, some used the school facilities. Soon afterwards, the first household latrines were built. Over time, hygiene practices spread, transforming the entire community.

Today, Gabriel’s grandmother, Dora, speaks with pride:

“Thanks to Gabriel, we now know the importance of having a latrine at home. After using it, we wash our hands. We learnt all this from them,” she says with a smile.

The story of Gabriel and his friends shows that there is no age limit to becoming an agent of change. Though young, they raised their voices, challenged long-standing traditions, and proved that transformation often begins with those least expected.

And so, where once there was illness and neglect, there is now life, dignity, and hope, all because a group of children believed they could change the destiny of their community. One cycle has been broken, and another has begun: this generation, and those to come, will live a different story thanks to their courage.