Mozambique celebrates today the Mozambican Women's Day.
To celebrate this date we share here a success story of one of the employees of the Niassa Special Reserve, an area co-managed between the Government of Mozambique and WCS:
My name is Marta Jose Mario, I am 30 years old and have three children. I live in Mecula district and have been working in Niassa Special Reserve (NSR) since 2012.
I lost my father when I was young so I helped help my mother take care of my siblings. While I was attending school in 2012, I heard that NSR was seeking applicants for people to train as rangers. I was very interested to apply, but I had a six month old baby at the time.
The idea captivated me so much that I asked my mother if she would be prepared to help me look after the baby. She said yes, so that same day I came to Mbatamila and applied. There were 16 women in the selection process, and I came first among them.
However unfortunately, there were no female instructors at that time, so I was interviewed and given a job working in the kitchen and offices - which I continue to this day.
A memorable time for me was when there was a wildfire in Mecula in 2019. It spread to the main camp in Mbatamila and all the women and men had to join together to tackle the blaze. This inspired me so much by showing me that women can be an essential part of a team.
Working at NSR I can help my family and look after my children. I am improving my house and I am paying someone to help my mother look after the children. My biggest dream is to be part of the NSR law enforcement team.