The Portuguese NGO Helpo will hold, between September 1st and 13th, a fund-raising campaign in Pingo Doce stores throughout the country, to help thousands of displaced children from Cabo Delgado to study.

"With the slogan "For displaced children, school is a first home", the campaign seeks to raise awareness among customers of the Jerónimo Martins group, in Pingo Doce stores and on mercadao.pt, to purchase 1Euro, 3Euro and 5Euro vouchers, which will make it easier for Mozambican children to get an education," says the organization, in a statement released this Wednesday.

According to the note, it is estimated that there are already "more than 400 thousand displaced children fleeing the armed conflicts in Cabo Delgado, who left everything behind, and who were left homeless, and for whom the school becomes a first home: a place of security, of coexistence and stability, of hope for the future.

The Portuguese can contribute to this aid for the education of children in the province of Cabo Delgado by purchasing vouchers, which allow for the distribution of snacks (1Euro), backpacks (3Euro) and schoolbooks (5Euro), explains Helpo in the note.

The NGO stresses that for those children "a snack, distributed at school can be the incentive to go to class every day" because in rural communities "many children have to walk several kilometers to get to school", so "a backpack makes all the difference".

The reality of those who leave their villages, under threat or during an armed attack, leaving behind all the material goods they have accumulated and many family members, "is to arrive in new geographies with extreme needs of all kinds," he emphasizes.

"The stories of war displaced people who arrive the communities are of pain, loss, helplessness and lack of everything. We seek to act in the immediate, alleviating the suffering caused by this lack, and in the medium and long term, making a concrete impact on people's lives, with a focus on protecting children, their dignity and rights," says Helpo.

Lusa Agency