Beira, Mozambique, Jan. 7, 2026 (Lusa) - The Tzu Chi Mozambique Foundation announced on Wednesday that it will hand over to the government, at the start of the 2026 school year, the largest primary school in Mozambique, which it built for US$4.8 million (€4.1 million).
In a statement released today, the world's largest Buddhist humanitarian organisation explains that the Esturro Primary School in the city of Beira is one of 23 schools it is building "simultaneously" in Mozambique as part of the "Hope" project for communities affected by Cyclone Idai in the central province of Sofala in 2019.
It also states that the infrastructure, "in the final stages of fitting out", will "house the pupils of the former Esturro Primary School, which was among those most affected by Idai in the city of Beira".
"For the pupils, this school will mean a qualitative leap. They will no longer study in precarious conditions but in decent conditions. It is yet another effort by the foundation to reduce the challenges the country faces annually with the entry of new students into the national education system," explained the president of the Tzu Chi Mozambique foundation, Dino Foi, quoted in the statement.
The 2026 school year in Mozambique starts on 30 January, and the foundation adds that the Esturro Primary School has 46 classrooms, with a capacity for 4,600 students in a two-shift system, "being one of several projects that the Tzu Chi Foundation has developed in support of communities affected by cyclical natural disasters in Sofala."
The institution recalls that the Ministry of Education estimates a deficit of 32,000 classrooms for the 2026 school year, due to the entry of an additional 1.6 million students.
Of the 23 schools the foundation plans to build as part of the "Hope" project, at least 13 new educational establishments are available to students in this new school year, bringing the total to 18 schools built so far by Tzu Chi for communities affected by Idai in Sofala.
Tzu Chi, which means "compassion and relief", is the world's largest Buddhist humanitarian organisation, founded in 1966 by Buddhist master and nun Cheng Yen with the aim of "alleviating human suffering through acts of kindness and selfless service".
In 2024, Tzu Chi also delivered, in Sofala and as part of the same project, the Mafambisse Secondary School, the largest secondary school in the country, budgeted at $13 million (€11.1 million).
In addition to the 23 schools, as part of the "Hope" project, budgeted at US$108 million (€92.4 million), an amount made available in full, 3,000 houses are being built simultaneously for communities affected by Idai, 1,678 of which have already been delivered to the populations of that province, which is cyclically affected by bad weather.
In Mozambique, Tzu Chi was founded in 2012 by Denise Foi and focuses on supporting communities in various areas, particularly education, agriculture, health, and assistance to populations, especially in times of emergency in the face of the cyclical natural disasters that have affected the country, recalls the institution, which has 10 million volunteers spread across the world, including 10,000 in the African country.
Tzu Chi has been stepping up its activities in Mozambique since 2019, after Cyclone Idai, and has already supported more than 100,000 families in projects related to education, resettlement, health and food security, especially in the centre of the country.
The 2018/2019 rainy season was one of the most severe in Mozambique's history: 714 people died, including 648 victims of cyclones Idai and Kenneth, two of the largest ever to hit the country.
PVJ/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
