ANSA and Reencotro
Since its inception in 1998, Reencontro has been working to alleviate the plight of orphaned children by providing access to basic services and social assistance through community-based care. We currently assist over 7,000 children in Southern Mozambique.
Who we are: Reencontro is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 by a group of women of good will. We are based in Mozambique, a beautiful country on the East Coast of Southern Africa.
Why we do it: In a country facing a debilitating HIV/AIDS pandemic, the effects are felt by its youngest and most vulnerable citizens: its children. We work to reduce the negative impact of broken family structures suffered by children who have lost their parents to the disease.
How we do it: We work directly within the affected communities, encouraging its members to assist each other in caring for children who would otherwise be left to fend for themselves. We provide training, basic support services, and social assistance through our network of volunteers, activists, and nurses
Our vision: To improve the lives of AIDS orphans by promoting better socio-economic and psychosocial conditions, encouraging proper health care practices, and facilitating access to education.
Our Mission: To alleviate the plight of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS by minimizing the negative impact resulting from broken family structures.
Reencontro works directly within the affected communities to provide support to orphaned and vulnerable children. We facilitate sustainable growth and development by:
- Creating support groups in affected communities to assist surrogate families in caring for children
- Directly supporting surrogate families by providing food, school materials and fees, uniforms, and medical services
- Training activists to carry out home visits and to provide support and counselling services
- Providing children with professional training, skills development, and assisting them with income-generating projects
- Educating and engaging youth in spirited debates regarding reproductive health and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS
Through our joint efforts with the community, we strive to ensure the well-being of every child.
Services
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Olinda was born in Manjacaze, Gaza province, the eldest of 10 children. Witnessing the struggles faced by her parents and those within her community to provide for their families fuelled her strong desire to help others facing the same challenges. In 1966, she entered the Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary in Maputo (formerly known as Lourenço Marques) to continue her studies. She trained as a nurse in Mozambique and in the UK and worked in hospitals in Maputo and Beira.
It was her appointment as Executive Director of AMODEFA (Mozambican Association for Family Support and Development) in 1996 that turned her attention to the ever-growing population of HIV/AIDS sufferers and to the negative impacts felt by their orphaned children. Soon afterward, with the support of her colleagues from the convent, she founded Reencontro and continued working to help others to overcome life’s challenges.
Olinda currently lives in Maputo and is a proud mother to her three children.
Rua da Beira, nº18296,
Maputo City, Mozambique
+258 823 195 340
+258 823 195 340