Mozambique Safe
Water Project
Sustaining hope through rehabilitated community boreholes, cleaner water access, and verified climate impact across Central Mozambique.
Clean water remains the exception
Less than half of Mozambique’s population has access to safe drinking water, with rural access in some areas falling as low as 35%. Many families rely on unclean water from rivers and shallow hand-dug wells, with direct consequences for health, time, and everyday wellbeing.
Over 98% of rural households rely on wood as their primary fuel source, and those who purify water often do so by boiling it over open fires. That creates significant indoor air pollution, drives deforestation, and increases the carbon burden on already vulnerable communities.
Many rural handpumps have fallen into disrepair because there is not enough funding for maintenance, while some communities still have no reliable safe water infrastructure at all. The burden of collecting water and fuel falls disproportionately on women and children, taking hours away from education, income generation, and family life.
Mozambique is also highly exposed to cyclones, flooding and drought. Major weather events such as Cyclone Idai and Cyclone Eloise caused serious damage to borehole infrastructure in project areas, making resilient rehabilitation and long-term maintenance even more important.
Previously I had to walk for more than one hour to the river just to fetch water. The repair of the water point brought a profound transformation in my life.
Rosa Francisco is a 22-year-old mother and one example of someone whose life has changed through the community boreholes rehabilitated by the safe water project. Before the project, she and her children relied on unsafe river water that repeatedly made the family sick.
Long journeys to collect water and repeated hospital visits consumed time and energy every week. With the local water point restored, Rosa has been able to spend that time differently and begin building greater independence for her family.
She now uses the time saved to make homemade buns and local drinks to sell in the community, while also helping her husband cultivate their fields. For Rosa, access to clean water has meant healthier children, more economic opportunity, and far more control over daily life.
Rehabilitation, training and long-term care
The project rehabilitates and maintains rural boreholes and handpumps so communities can access safe water close to home. Reliable infrastructure removes the need to boil water over wood fires and helps cut emissions at source.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene training equips communities with practical knowledge on safe collection, hygiene and sanitation use, helping long-term behaviour change extend beyond the physical water point itself.
Communities are supported to manage and protect their own water points. Local ownership is central to keeping boreholes working over time and ensuring the benefits are sustained well beyond the initial rehabilitation works.
Verified emissions reductions from avoided boiling fund ongoing maintenance, monitoring and expansion. Carbon finance makes the model commercially credible while directly supporting improved living conditions on the ground.
Impact beyond verified emissions
In addition to reducing emissions, the Mozambique Safe Water Project creates meaningful social and economic co-benefits. Gold Standard certification means both emissions claims and SDG contributions are subject to independent review.
UN SDGs contributed to by this project
Built on trusted partnerships
Village Water leads borehole rehabilitation, WASH training delivery and community engagement. Their long-standing field expertise is central to ensuring the project works practically at community level.
WATSAN Mozambique provides technical expertise for borehole installation, maintenance and local capacity building, helping communities manage their water points more sustainably over time.
CO2balance develops the project through certification, monitoring, verification and issuance, ensuring carbon finance is channelled back into safe water access and long-term project maintenance.
More from our safe water portfolio
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