Faque Pira lives with his half brother and sister-in-law in a small hut in the remote and rural village of Naunde, Northern Mozambique. His parents passed away in 2007 and 2009 from the same undiagnosed illness, most likely to be HIV/AIDS. Struggling to make ends meet, the family was forced to send Faque’s 12 year old sister Muanassa to Macomia, a large town some 100 kilometres away where she is more vulnerable and more likely to be married off at a young age.
In 2008, Faque fell from a coconut tree while collecting coconuts to sell in his village. He broke his ankle very badly and doctors in the neighbouring villages were unable to repair it. His ankle never set properly leaving Faque unable to walk without the help of a stick.
In spite of his tragic story, Faque remains optimistic about the future. “I love going to school”, he explains, “my favourite subject is Portuguese, but I hope to learn English one day too”. Faque is desperate to complete his schooling and will be able to apply for a Nema scholarship next year, which will support him throughout secondary school. One day he hopes to work for Nema to help other orphaned and vulnerable children in the same situation as him.
