Meet the Students

2009 Admitted Students

In 2009, FLMF has expanded the Mais Escola Para Mim program to include two classes of scholarship recipients: a ninth grade group including 18 of the original 20 who entered the program last year and a new eighth grade group of 20 girls. You can get more information about our new eight graders below.

The students in this group had different ages (12-16) because not all children start school at the age of six in Mozambique; some never get a chance to go.

Adelina Francisco Mucavel age 14

Adelina was born in Macie. She entered MEpM in 2009 and is attending eighth grade and the Magude Secondary School. When she grows up Adelina wants to be a traffic police officer. In her free time, she likes to review her school material, play with friends, go to church, dance and sing. Her favorite food is beef curry, chicken, "matapa," "cacana," and "feijao". She also loves oranges and cashews. Adelina readily gets involved in group dormitory chores as well as her individual cooking responsibilities. She comes from a peanut and "macaroca" farm where she lives with her grandmother.

Adonica Lucas Mucavele age 15

Adonica was born in Manjanga, Magude. She entered MEpM in 2009. When she finishes her studies Adonica wants to be a nurse. At home, she works in domestic chores and does her best to keep the kitchen in order. She loves to eat "xima," "matapa," meat and "feijao". She enjoys playing around with her girlfriends in her free time and does not forget to review her schoolwork.

Aida Armando Vuma age 15

Aida comes to MEpM from the Nwambyana district of Magude. She wants to be a police officer when she grows up. Her favorite food is chicken curry with rice. In her free time she likes to joke around with her friends and play soccer. At home her responsibilities include cooking, working on the farm, and carrying water from the river.

Admira Tomas Vilanculos age 13

Admira comes from the Nwambyana district of Magude. Her dream is to become a doctor. Her normal domestic responsibilities include farm work and cooking. Her favorite meal is good "feijoada" (a popular meat and bean mixture) with rice. In her leisure time she plays with her friends and sisters, making up ball games and playing "neca" (Mozambican hop-scotch).

Alventina Johan Mujovu age 16

Alventina was born in South Africa, though she comes from the isolated village of Mapulanguene, on the Mozambican side of the border with South Africa. For her, studying is more than an obligation, it's also a hobbie. She thinks it's important to study in order to have a profession when she grows up. She wants to buy a nurse so that she can help sick people. Her favorite food is "xima" with grilled chicken and she looks chocolate cookies.

Anastancia Joao Mucavel age 12

Anastancia comes from Macubalane, Magude. After she completes her studies she wants to be a nurse. School is important for her because it will allow her to assist Mozambique's development in the future. She likes to spend her leisure time with friends and colleagues from school. She loves to cook. Anastancia hates cucumber salad and her favorite food is coconut rice with grilled chicken.

Carlota Boaventura Ubisse age 14

Carlota is from the village of Motaze. Her goal is to finish secondary school without any setbacks. She wants to become an accountant when she's older and thinks of herself as very studious. At home, she helps her family out by handling all of the cooking. In her free time she likes to play "matocuzana" with her friends (a traditional southern Mozambican girls game) and to play soccer. Her favorite platter is fish and rice.

Constancia Silvano Mucavele age 13

Constancia comes from Macubulana, Magude. She wants to become a doctor when she's older and knows that to do this she needs to study and graduate from a university. Her goal while in MEpM is to complete secondary school. Her favorite platter is "xima" with pork. After school she likes to play ball, "neca", talk with friends.

Cristina Fernando Ubisse age 14

Cristina was born in Chokué but comes to MEpM from the village of Motaze. Her professional dream is be an engineer. She says that she enjoys doing domestic work and prefers to handle cooking. In her free time she plays "neca." Her favorite platter is rice with "feijao".

Elsa Mário Cuna age 15

Elsa was born in the village of Bobe. Her dream is to be an engineer and because of this she strives to complete her studies. She loves cooking, jumping rope, and reading. Her favorite platter is "xima" with beef.

Ema Carlos Mabunda age 13

Ema is from the village of Motaze. She intends to enter pedagogical school so that she become a teacher and is dedicated to her studies to make this dream a reality. Ema has many domestic responsibilities at home, including working on the farm, getting water from the river, and milling grain. She loves playing with friends and playing "neca" and thinks chick curry with rice is delicious.

Eufrasia Isaias Chongo age 15

Eufrasia was born in the village of Mahel. When she grows up she wants to be a doctor and help other people. At home she always is given many domestic responsibilities, especially cooking. Eufrasia's favorite food is rice with "repolho" (a Mozambican vegetable like spinach or brussel sprouts). In her free time she likes to jump rope, play "neca", and be with her friends and colleagues. She is the first child from Mahel to attend secondary school.

Isabel Afonso Mabunda age 14

Isabel was born in the capital city of Maputo but comes to MEpM from Marrule. When she grows up she wants to be a teacher and help other children. She works on her family's farm but prefers her cooking and cleaning responsibilities. In her free time she likes to play with her sisters and friends. She jumps rope and plays "neca".

Joisse Pedro Nhumaio age 14

Joisse grew up in Chokué. She wants to be a teacher. Like the other girls, her responsibilities at home include working on the farm and cooking. She likes to play with friends, review school material, and jump rope.

Margarida Jose Matsinhe age 13

Margarida was born in Motaze. Margarida likes numbers and wants to be an accountant after she finishes her studies. She has committed herself to finishing secondary school, something no one else in her family has achieved, and doing so without repeating a grade. At home Margarida helps her mother tend the farm. She doesn't eat pork but loves chicken or beef curry with "xima" or rice. She likes a diverse diet. In her free time she likes to play with friends and sing.

Meriamo Armando Sitoe age 15

Meriamo comes from the village of Panjane. She wants to be a teacher. She likes to read, play "neca" and play with friends in her free time. She loves all types of fruit, especially mafura, ata, and bananas. Her favorite platter is meat curry with "xima" or rice.

Sandra Raúl Mathevul age 14

Sandra grew up in the village of Mapulanguene. She wants to be a teacher. Her favorite food is chicken with rice or "xima".

Talvina Aurélio Macamo age 14

Talvina is from the village of Nwambyana. She intends to be a teacher. At home she spends most of her time working on the farm, cooking, and milling grain. She likes to eat chicken or fish with "xima" or rice.

Velosa Joao Cossa age 12

Velosa was born and raised in the village of Mapulanguene. When she finishes her studies, Velosa wants to be a teacher so that she can help other Mozambicans. Her favorite food is "xima" or rice with meat curry. She admits to having a sweet tooth. In her free time she likes to play with friends.

Yara Filipe Novela age 14

Yara comes from Bobe. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up so that she can teach other children how to read, write, and sing. In her free time she likes to play with friends, play "neca," "matocozani" (another traditional Mozambican girls game), and other games. Her favorite food is chicken curry with rice.

2008 Accepted Students, now just graduated. Congratulations!

In 2008, the Lurdes Mutola Foundation's Mais Escola para Mim program provided 20 Mozambican girls from rural zones throughout Maputo Province with the chance to attend eighth grade in a secondary school.The 2008 "Mais Escola Para Mim" scholarship participants, were studying 8th grade at the Magude Secondary school in Maputo province.

The students in this group had different ages (12-16) because not all children start school at the age of six in Mozambique; some never get a chance to go.

Milca Alfredo Balane age 12

Milca, a resident of Facazissa, is the youngest of More School for Me's scholarship recipients. She marvels at Maria Mutola's achievement as the first Mozambican woman (or man for that matter) to dominate the 800m event worldwide. She would like to improve her ability to read and write Portuguese in order to become a nurse. Milca loves to play sports, her favorite color is pink, and her fruit is the apple.

Alegria Paula Cossa age 15

Alegria comes to the program from Ungubana, a village 12km outside of Magude. The youngest daughter in a family of four children, Alegria is the first in her family to begin secondary school, with the help of the program. Teachers have described her as an assiduous and punctual worker. She would like to be a professor when she grows up, a goal she can obtain once graduating the 10th grade.

Artemiza Souza Cossa age 15

Artemiza has a dream to become a leader in Mozambique and serve as governor. The daughter of a minibus driver and a field worker, she shares her favorite athletics, with Maria Mutola. Artemiza would like to visit England one day, where she would get to practice her favorite subject in school—English. As the oldest child in a family of three daughters settled in Ungubana, her success in high school coupled with her strong ambitions is likely to change perspectives on education in her family and community and encourage her sisters to follow suit.

Carla Joel Ribisse age 14

Carla has grown up in Bobe, a village difficult to reach because if its poor roads, and is the youngest of three daughters. Her mother never went to school; Carla will be the first in her family to graduate secondary school. She would like to pursue a career after secondary school as a nurse, though her favorite class in school is physical education. Carla loves to play soccer, is fond of eating oranges, and her favorite color is green.

Carolina Ananias Monjane age 13

Carolina is one of the youngest but most academically talented scholars in the program. A star student from the primary school of Facazissa, she holds particularly high grades in math. About her professional dreams, Carolina said, "I want to be a doctor to help my population cure Mozambique's illnesses, principally those of Magude". The country she most wants to visit is Indonesia, to discover more about the world and other cultures. Her favorite after-school activity is singing, and orange is both her favorite color and her favorite fruit.

Cremilda Milagre Matcheque age 14

Cremilda comes to the program from Motaze, a village more than 40km away from the town of Magude. She was raised by a single mom in a family of four children, and would like to become a doctor. When asked to reflect on Maria Mutola's importance to Mozambique, she said, "Maria Mutola is important because she helps others realize their dreams. She wants to support those who aim to develop themselves and our country."

Cristeza Armando Telmo age 16

Cristeza, from Bobe, would like to be an accountant after secondary school, though her favorite subject is Portuguese. Her favorite after-school activities include volleyball and soccer; her favorite foods are pineapple, and chima, a traditional Mozambican starch dish, along with beans. Cristeza said her motivation to study is to plan and better her future.

Ester Pedro Ubisse age 14

Ester hails from Ungubana. An energetic and motivated girl, Ester's active participation and in her classes and her ability to rapidly learn has earned the recognition of her teachers. Ester's family hasn't found much opportunity in Mozambique. Like most of More School for Me's scholarship recipients, Ester, along with her parents survive on subsistence agriculture, and has many relatives working in South African mines, including her eldest brother.

Evelina Domingo Timane age 13

Evelina, a native of Bobe and the only girl in her family, would like to become a professor. In school, she loves math; after school, she loves soccer. Her favorite foods include rice with beef and oranges. She believes that Maria Mutola is important because of "her desire to see Mozambique develop." Evelina's favorite color is brown.

Ginoca Armando Nguenha age 14

Ginoca, from Motaze, has an older sister who was unable to attend secondary school and a younger one who still has hope. After secondary school, Ginoca plans to pursue becoming a doctor and work in a hospital. She would like to visit Namibia one day, and visit other countries in Africa as well. Like Evelina, Ginoca also has a penchant for math and soccer. Her favorite color is green and her favorite meal is chima with beef curry.

Lúcia Jorge Macuácua age 13

Lúcia dreams of working for the Ministry of Education or becoming a school director. Her father is a mine worker in South Africa, while her mother is involved in subsistence agriculture at home in Bobe. None of her three siblings has managed to pass the 5th grade; Lúcia will be the first. She admires Maria Mutola for taking on the responsibility of helping others accomplish their dreams. Lúcia's favorite subject is Portuguese, though she also enjoys playing handball and practicing athletics in Physical Education. Her favorite color is white.

Luisa Carlos Zuana age 14

Luisa grew up in Motaze and would like to be a minister in the Mozambican government, though she hasn't decided which department yet. She hopes her education will help her to help her family, friends, and community. Luisa enjoys singing as well as studying Portuguese. She has imagined visiting Italy someday and getting to know many Italian people. Custard apples and chima are some of her favorite foods. Luisa's favorite color is green.

Magda Augusto Mbendzene age 13

Magda plans to study medicine after finishing her secondary school studies. A Motaze resident, she loves vegetables, which are in short supply in the province of Magude. She loves science class in school, which will be a great help in her quest to become a doctor, as well as singing. Magda is the second-to-youngest of six children in her family, and her favorite color is blue.

Marcelia Salomae Chemo age 14

Marcelia, from Facazissa, aims to become a nurse after graduating secondary school. She is the youngest of 4 children, two of whom have moved to South Africa in search of work, and lost her father at an early age. Marcelia would enjoy visiting Angola, Mozambique's Portuguese-speaking counterpart in Africa, to get to know a new environment outside of Mozambique. She cites Maria Mutola's athletic achievements as a great contribution to Mozambique. Marcelia's favorite fruit are oranges and her favorite color is white.

Márcia Zefanias Mbenzene age 13

Márcia is a talkative and intrepid girl from Motaze who comes from a family of six children. If she could travel to any country in the world, her choice would be to explore Spain on foot. After secondary school, she plans to become a nurse. Her favorite meal is chima with pumkin leaves, a traditional Mozambican dish. Márcia is fond of Portuguese class, and enjoys playing soccer. Her favorite color is green.

Marquina Tarciso Mbalate age 15

Marquina, a Motaze native, has two younger twin sisters. She would like to visit South Africa in order to learn about the world beyond Mozambique. Marquina's dream after graduating from the More School for Me program is to become a doctor. Her favorite fruit is the tangerine and her favorite color is orange. Of all her classes, Marquina enjoys Portuguese most. Like many of her colleagues, her favorite food is chima, the basis of most Mozambican's diets along with rice.

Valda Rogue Sambo age 15

Valda hails from Bobe and comes from a family of five children. Her dream is to become governor of Magude province, and she would like to visit the US someday, especially in that capacity. Valda's favorite food is onion rice with roasted chicken. She enjoys a range of sports, from soccer to cheias, a traditional Mozambican game for girls. In school, Valda is partial to Portuguese as a subject. Her favorite color is red.

Zaida Alberto Tembe age 15

Zaida is a good-natured girl from Motaze. The oldest of four, she has never been held back a single grade, though she began school late. Like Valda, she hopes to hold a position of leadership in the Mozambican government after graduating. In school, Zaida's best subject is Portuguese. Her favorite after-school activity is singing. Zaida's favorite fruit is the pineapple and her favorite meal is rice and beans.