The second year of the project has also come to an end and it is time to take stock. One of the things that most characterised these last months of work was undoubtedly the completion of the Descriptive Report on the redevelopment of the Macuti Miquejo neighbourhood: this is one of the most important documents of MUDAR, as it encapsulates the process that led the University of Trento, which is responsible for the action, to design a preliminary project that would respond to the needs and constraints of the population through a multi-stakeholder participatory process. The Municipality of Beira, which guided the drafting of the project, is responsible for its execution.
It is the culmination of a long and important process that began with an extensive data collection on the Macuti area and its administrative functioning, which made it possible to prioritise and lead to the definition of a neighbourhood-wide project. Thus, crucial issues for the improvement of the spontaneous settlement were addressed, such as the limited mobility within it, the flooding it is subject to, the lack of green and public spaces, and the absence of waste collection. The interventions proposed in the Pilot Project occupy a strategic position in Macuti and are expected to address several critical issues simultaneously. They are also intended to constitute a replicable model within the neighbourhood itself, according to the priorities indicated in the preliminary project, and perhaps in the entire Beira. This is possible thanks to their easy and economical reproducibility characteristics. Furthermore, they constitute a training ground for the local administration, not only in the design phase of interventions, but also in their implementation and maintenance.
The Descriptive Report was presented and formally handed over to the Municipality of Beira by Professor Zolezzi, MUDAR focal point for the University of Trento, on 11 April at the Municipality of Beira in the presence of the Mayor Albano Antonio Carige, the main municipal authorities, including the Aldermen for Urban Management, Building and Construction, Agriculture and Environment, the Director of the Autonomous Sanitation Service (SASB) and the project partners. Macuti’s experience and the descriptive report were also presented at the international conferences in Genoa (Italy) ‘Resilient Territories and New Challenges Conference’ (18-20 April 2024) and in Lisbon ‘International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research’ (4-7 June 2024).
Another important event was the Summer School, held in the Province of Trento last April, which was attended by the Mayor of Beira together with 7 municipal representatives and two IFAPA training managers. With meetings, exchanges and comparisons, it was a very important opportunity to introduce the Mozambican partners to various realities of Trentino, in a dynamic of horizontal dialogue that strengthened relations and friendship between the cities of Trento and Beira. Indeed, the summer school was part of the ongoing training process that MUDAR provides to strengthen the management, technical and administrative capacities of the municipality of Beira. This second year of the project could not have ended better.
If much has been achieved, much is still to come, and we look forward to the third year with commitment and determination: after two years of work with the community, neighbourhood associations and project technicians, the long-awaited redevelopment of Macuti Miquejo will begin. But that’s not all: the training cycles administered by the CCI to IFAPA and by IFAPA to the Municipality will continue. A second study visit will be organised among Mozambican local authorities; and a delegation from the Province of Trento will visit Beira. Thanks to the collaboration with Informatici Senza Frontiere, a digital solution will be designed to improve the municipality’s services to the population in the field of waste management.
In short, there will be no time to relax! The knowledge is that, thanks to this great project team, despite the difficulties and unforeseen events, high-level results will be achieved.