A year after Palma faced a series of attacks by non-state armed groups Tsebo, in partnership with its local client TotalEnergies, has made great strides in providing food, sustainable development projects and other humanitarian aid to rebuild the remote town.
Tsebo-TotalEnergies partnership highlights in Palma:
- Approximately 1600 families receive assistance each month from over 16 tons of humanitarian relief rations supplied weekly.
- Over 14 tons of military rations are supplied weekly.
- Farming and harvesting occur on two large farms, with over 13 400 locally cultivated seedlings planted on the two main farms in one month alone.
- The coordination of a successful income-earning brickmaking project, coordinating the delivery of 154 tons of raw materials and 120 bags of cement to the project in one month alone.
- The Palma Fishing Association is now empowered to supply up to 1 826 kg of fresh fish and 1 392 kg of dry fish per month.
- Assistance with designing and facilitating a community bakery, which is up and running and producing bread for the local market.
Background:
Prior to a series of attacks in early 2021, Palma on the northeast coast of Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado was a town bustling with industry. People were drawn to the area to find work in the growing gas industry or associated enterprises.
TFM is a remote specialist facilities management business in Mozambique and is 51% locally owned. Through its sister company, Tsebo Servco Mozambique, TFM was originally contracted to the area in October 2020 to supply the Mozambican Military with meals from a temporary kitchen situated outside the Duat in Afungi. However, after the town of Palma was attacked in March and April 2021, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and leaving the town decimated, the contract was renegotiated to supply food for the Joint Task Force (JTF).
A couple of months later, TFM, on behalf of its client TotalEnergies, was asked to assist in providing humanitarian aid and establishing self-sustaining business associations to benefit and uplift the community through independent consultants. This involved procuring the necessary equipment and establishing sustainable, income-earning activities for the people of Palma and surrounding areas, including farming, fishing and brickmaking. Plans for a seedling nursery were also submitted and approved.
As an experienced, remote specialist facilities management company with the assistance and financial backing of TotalEnergies, TFM was able to cost and procure immediate humanitarian aid from local suppliers in Pemba and in the form of essential consumable and non-consumable items to sustain and feed people affected by the attacks. This humanitarian aid was provided from Pemba with the assistance of True North.
As a start, TFM packed and transported aid packs from Pemba by barge to Palma for distribution by humanitarian aid workers. Altogether approximately 5280 local residents receive assistance each month. Each pack weighs 50 kg and is enough to feed a family of four for two weeks. This is in addition to the stock supplied to feed the Military, equating to over 94 500 meals per month as prepared by the Military.
Palma: One Year On
Over and above the continued supply of 14 tons of military rations and 16 tons of humanitarian rations a week, the partnerships have made enormous strides toward re-establishing jobs and income-earning opportunities for the previously disadvantaged people of Palma and surrounding villages. These include True North and Vamoz, to name a few.
Farming
Farming is taking place on two large farms. Crops include carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, pumpkins, tomatoes, ginger, green beans, watermelon, Portuguese cabbage, sweet melon, sweet potato, and okra. To establish these crops, virgin land had to be cleared using bulldozers.
Water remains a challenge and to overcome this, TFM contracted independent consultants and is empowering the local communities to build a dam at each large farm. Packhouses for each farm will be constructed, and the two main farms and surrounding land will be fenced off.
Nursery
A nursery has been established and local staff are paid per successful seedling. A total of 13 485 seedlings were planted on the two main farms in one month alone. Nursery staff are transported daily from their homes to the nursery site.
Brickmaking
An income-earning project that has taken flight after the partnership identified community leaders to run the project and teach the locals how to make bricks. Local brickmakers are paid per brick, and payments are made in cash fortnightly.
Raw materials are transported using 22-ton tipper trucks from Palma to the brickmaking sites. The partnership coordinated the delivery of 154 tons of raw materials and 120 bags of cement to the project in one month alone, with the help of True North. More brickmaking facilities have been proposed. A covered area for staff to work under, prepare food and eat their meals is underway.
Fishing
Fishing is already well-established and a minimum of 600kg of dry fish and 800kg of fresh fish a week is provided by the Fishing Association in Palma. The dry fish is used in the humanitarian aid food parcels, while the fresh fish is used in the kitchen. The Association is paid 250 Meticais for dry fish and 450 Meticais for fresh fish. The Association has managed to supply up to 1 826kg of fresh fish and 1 392kg of dry fish in a single month.
Bakery
The client commissioned the design and building of a bakery, which is up and running and producing bread. The bakery is wood-fired and will eventually be converted to gas. The aim is to make enough bread rolls a day to supply the camp and create entrepreneurial opportunities for locals. TFM buys the bread rolls back from the community bakery for supply to the JTF.
Get in touch:
- Mark Taylor | mtaylor@tsebo.com | + 27 83 382 0724
- Mark Lombard | mlombard@tsebo.com | +258 84 341 2240
