A Transformative Experience in Mozambique with NOVAFRICA
My name is Veronica Guerra. I am from Italy, and this is my final semester as an Economics student at Nova SBE. Last semester, I had the opportunity to embark on an adventure with NOVAFRICA as a research assistant in Mozambique for the project “Experimental Evidence on Occupational Choices of Microentrepreneurs in Mozambique”. When my professor proposed me this internship, I felt both excited and apprehensive. It was something I had not planned, and six months seemed like a very long time. However, my desire and curiosity to experience such a distant and different reality outweighed any doubts. I was certain it would be a unique opportunity from human, academic, and professional perspectives.
It was my first time in Africa, but arriving was not such as shock as one can imagine. Maputo, a large and relatively safe city, has very poor areas as well as neighborhoods that could almost be mistaken for a Western country. However, there were certainly some cultural differences that took time to adapt to. Nevertheless, over time, I grew accustomed to the environment and felt at home there. The rhythm of life is slower, people trust each other, and they were curious about me and our project.
In the beginning, our team was composed of four Nova SBE students (João, Andrea, Sarah, and me) and two members of NOVAFRICA’s permanent staff in Maputo, Yolanda and Alberto. The hardest part was getting started: as in many other developing countries, bureaucracy was complicated and slow. It took time to obtain all the authorizations we needed to begin our project. The next step was recruiting and training a team of local enumerators, which was certainly challenging but also very rewarding. Simultaneously, we started visiting the markets of Maputo and Matola. Markets play a vital role in the city’s life. They are not only where locals buy their daily food but also where you find restaurants, tailors, and traditional pharmacies.
The markets are very interesting places to be: they are busy,often dirty, with loud music and everyone is happy to have a conversation. I always felt safe and appreciated the kindness of the people. Since few white people frequent the markets, the vendors were very curious about me and NOVAFRICA’s project. Speaking with the vendors was essential for identifying potential issues or improvements in the survey we were developing.
When we were finally ready to start, our work was often delayed due to the country’s political situation. Protests would block streets, making it difficult for our enumerators to reach the markets and conduct interviews. While these circumstances were challenging, I now appreciate the opportunity to witness a significant moment in Mozambican history. Despite the difficulties, we did our best to collect data rigorously and precisely. Being in the field collecting data helped me understand the importance of this process and the necessity of rigor and precision.
This entire experience taught me so much. I had to learn many things by doing them and had to be both adaptive and creative. I met so many people: our team, colleagues in the office, members of the international community, and vendors in the markets. Each one of them taught me something valuable, especially my friend and colleague João, with whom I shared everything during these six months. I am deeply grateful for this experience, through which I gained deeper understanding of economic development, and skills that will serve me throughout my entire life. Most importantly, it reminded me of the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone, as some of the most meaningful growth comes from embracing the unexpected!
Veronica Guerra Msc Economics, Nova School of Business and Economics