Speaking in Maputo on Thursday, during a meeting with former liberation fighters, Maria Guebuza said that these veterans should transmit their experience and knowledge to the communities to help increase production.
This meeting was intended to sound out the problems faced by the veterans in Maputo, and exchange ideas on how they can contribute to the battles against poverty and against HIV/AIDS.
She said that in transmitting their experience, they should also cover the area of education, where values of the history of Mozambique should be shared with the new generation.
"Veterans, as makers of the history of Mozambique, must lead an education campaign for children in schools to know about our national heroes and historic dates", she said.
In response, Guebuza's audience complained that because they are allegedly being marginalised and discriminated against, they feel that they have no space to intervene and transmit the knowledge and experience they possess about the history of the country.
The former fighters complain that their work during the liberation struggle is not being recognised - nonetheless, just as in the past, they are still prepared to work for the welfare of the country.
But some of those who spoke told the first lady that all their efforts are going to waste because of the difficulties they have to face just to make a living.
Some of these difficulties have to do with the very low pensions they receive, the lack of bank loans to implement their projects, and failure to obtain school places for their children, medical assistance, and jobs.
Commenting on education opportunities, Pita Kanhemba, an official of the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs, said that the largest of Mozambique's higher education institutions, the Eduardo Mondlane University, is offering ten scholarships for the children of veterans. But he acknowledged that this falls far short of meeting the demand.
Maria Guebuza promised to discuss all these issues with the relevant institutions, and advised the veterans to organise themselves into associations if they are to benefit from support and facilities to implement their development projects.
"Only when organized in associations can we overcome difficulties", she said. "We must follow the example of the national liberation struggle, that called for unity in order to defeat colonialism".
SOURCE: AIM
