"Mozambique is currently suffering from severe political instability," he says. The country is split in two since the election two years ago. "The rebels are in the middle of the country and they make communication impossible between the North and the South," he adds. "In Mozambique only 12% of people of working age are employed." The rest live by the black economy or subsistence agriculture.
Young people are one of the concerns of the Salesians. "Giving hope to the youth and creating openings for them is difficult, but we are working hard at it." The Salesians have several professional training centres where they teach the young people a trade. "It's not easy. There is a culture whereby people think 'why make an effort, if there is no work, if there is no future?'
And that reality is worsening because of hunger, lack of hope and, above all, because there is no peace. "For us it is better to die of hunger in peaceful Malawi than to be slaughtered by cruel soldiers in our own country," said a woman who had just arrived in a refugee camp.
Finally, it should be added that now a severe drought has hit the country, especially the southern regions. Fr Pescador concludes: "the 'El Niño' phenomenon has meant that the rains were very scarce this year during the planting season and thousands of families do not have enough food."
