A sanitation improvement project implemented by a Chinese company has transformed living conditions in the city of Tete, in western Mozambique, replacing open defecation with safe, dignified and disability-friendly domestic facilities.

Local resident Flora Rui is among the thousands of beneficiaries. Before the project was completed, her community faced a complete lack of basic infrastructure. ‘Open defecation was not only inconvenient; it was a constant risk to the safety of women and children,’ said Rui. ‘Now we have privacy at home, and our children have a safe and dignified place to bathe.’

In July 2025, the Tete sanitation project, carried out by China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation Co., Ltd., was officially handed over. The initiative delivered 2,933 specialised household toilets in five high-need communities, directly addressing the region's most acute water, sanitation and hygiene gaps.

Zito Mugabe, a project officer with Mozambique's National Water Supply and Sanitation Directorate, said the project not only improved domestic sanitation but also strengthened urban environmental health services. 

(Source: Xinhua Portuguese, on 16 January)