This is Filomena, a hero of Young Africa

In the series ‘Meet The Heroes of Young Africa” we get to know graduates and learn about their drives to join Young Africa, their passions and their ambitions in life. Meet Filomena, twenty-six, from Buzi, Mozambique. 

“I’m physically disadvantaged, I was born in a low-income, female-headed family of seven and I live with my mother. She works on farms to be able to support us. Growing up in these circumstances required us to actively participate in harvesting food to provide some income. With the support from Light for the World, we managed subsidize my secondary educations and school-related materials. Luckily, they support disabled children. When I completed my secondary education, I joined the Young Africa Agritech Centre in Dondo, Mozambique. I enrolled in a TVET course in Argiculture for twelve months in 2017. After completing the training, I returned to Búzi, where I started to produce vegetables on a small scale. I managed to produce at this low scale for two years, from 2018 to 2019. 

In September 2020, through my co-students I got a short-term contract of eight months with Luteari. They placed me for work in the village of Mudima in Gôndola. With this income I was able to build a small house for my mother, and I helped her with monthly expenses. I even have plans to send my younger sister to college. It feels like I have a better perspective of life than before, as of late everything just comes together. I am no longer dependent, I experience economic freedom and I can help my family.”.