Angelina Araújo, aged 28, two children, lives in Maquiringa
Employed in Portucel Moçambique's forestry project and provider of land for the project
"I stayed in school to the end of grade 7, but before working for Portucel Moçambique I had no regular income. Since I started working for the company, I've been able to build my house, I've bought a bicycle and now I can buy clothes for my sons and for myself. As well as the job, I'm also benefiting from the company's Social Development Programme, and I've received seeds to grow corn, sesame, black-eyed beans and pigeon peas, and the crops are doing well. I'm happy with the situation and I've been working up to now."
Regina da Glória, aged 29, single, lives in Gurué
Laboratory technician at the Luá Nurseries
"I graduated last year [2015] from the Agricultural Institute in Gurué and went to work in one of the associations connected to Portucel Moçambique. I was a fieldworker for the Association until December 2015, when that job came to an end. Then in January I heard about a job at Portucel Moçambique's nurseries, so I applied and got selected.
Now I work as a laboratory technician and help with other things, like spraying and collecting data. I started working, got my first salary, and then my second, and my life started to get better and now I share what I earn with my parents and brothers and sisters. I have a sister who is studying agricultural economics at university in Inhambane and I am able to do my best to help her complete her studies.
My dream is to work, to be someone, to help my parents and younger siblings to finish school and go to university. If I can't manage it, at least two of my siblings will get to college. And so my dream is buy a piece of land and build and then take my driving test, at least for a motorbike.
[Since I started working at Portucel Moçambique] there's been a big difference in my life, I can help my mother in her farming, with money to pay workers to help her. I can buy clothes for my bothers and sisters and for myself, food for the family and I buy little things, like soap for my brothers and sisters. Sometimes I give each of them 5 meticais, so they can understand that their sister is working. I have also sent some money to my relations and cousins, who live further away, and also to my niece."
Hilário Carlos, aged 28, 7 children – 4 boys and 3 girls, lives in Nicorropale
Employed in Portucel Moçambique's forestry project and provider of land for the project
"Before working for Portucel Moçambique, I was a domestic servant. To earn money to buy clothes for my children, I would go to Quelimane or Nampula to look for a job. When Portucel Moçambique started up, I made over some of my land and asked for a job. The company took us on, we worked and I started to live here, with my family, without having to go away to work. I've been able to buy clothes, to build my house, to buy a freezer and a bicycle, and now I've been able to buy a motorbike.
In the morning, I just think about going to work and not about finding money to travel away from my family to earn money, and I am grateful to the company for this. I've been able to send my son to secondary school and the younger ones are in the primary school and will then follow their elder brother to the secondary school. I bought this house, put in electricity and fitted a freezer and a television.
Portucel Moçambique has also helped us with growing food. A company which works for them came here, took us to a demonstration field and taught us what to do. They gave us corn, pigeon pea, sesame and soya, a kilo of each, I planted it all, it's growing well and now I have seeds for next season.
I've also planted a vegetable garden, it's half a hectare with cabbages which are doing well, nice green leaves. The tomatoes are also coming on, and so are the onions."
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