The Re-birth of Hope in Manica Province

HIV/AIDS is the most serious threat facing Mozambique. The pandemic is threatening to reverse the development gains of recent years. According to latest reports from UNICEF Mozambique, the rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence among adults aged 15-49 has been steadily increasing over the past few years, from 12.2 per cent in 2000 to 16.2 per cent in 2004. In 2006, an estimated 1.7 million people were living with HIV or AIDS and the disease is claiming over 120,000 lives each year.

The pandemic continues to compound the crisis of increasing numbers of orphaned and vulnerable children. 20 per cent of the estimated number of 1.6 million orphans in Mozambique is due to AIDS.

In September 2005, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mozambique launched a new program known as,Renasce Esperança , which means, “re-birth of hope”, in Manica Province.

“Renasce Esperança is a community development arm of the ELCM,” said Mr. Armando, Joao Mahnisse, coordinator and founder of the program.

Renasce Esperança was a response to the challenges of HIV and AIDS faced by the Church and the surrounding communities in the Manica Province. Currently the program has responded to 200 orphans ages ranging between 0-17.

The program is funded by Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA). In December 2005, the program, received its first support of SAR2000 for the International AIDS day. In January 2006, LUCSA gave an additional SAR30,000.

“With that grant we were able to support a total of 200 orphans and vulnerable children in the communities of Chimoio and Catandica,” said Mr. Manhisse.

In Catandica, an open community centre known as Munene has been constructed using local materials. The centre provides vocational training for vulnerable teenagers such as carpentry, agriculture etc, and the centre also provides feeding schemes for the orphans and vulnerable children.


For the program to run well, Renasce Esperança engages a group of volunteers who are part of the local community. The volunteers help in taking care of the children when they are at the centre and visit the children once a week in their homes.

“Currently we have sent 11 volunteers for home-based care training…we hope to have more volunteers trained,” said Mr. Manhisse.

Mr. Manhisse hopes to extend the program to other provinces, “The program is a success in the two communities we are working in. It helps in putting our Church name on the Map, people now know the ELCM, not just for Sunday services, but the community ministry it is doing through Renasce Esperança,” he said.