THE MOZAMBIQUE INSTITUTE
(INSTITUTO MOQAMBICANO)
INTRODUCTION
The Mozambique Institute is the fulfilment of an idea which was born in
1960-61 when my husband and I visited Mozambique.  It is also a crystalisation
of the strivings and searchings for education by many young Mozambicans — an
education denied them by the Portuguese colonial government.  We took the
opportunity to visit my husbandTs country while he was still working in the
Trusteeship system of the United Nations.  During that visit there came to us
dozens of young Africans who had, in one way or another, accumulated some knowledge which could be developed into a sound educational background preparatory
for academic or technical careers.  For example, we spoke with several young
men who had managed to attend evening courses in the local private European
secondary or technical school, but who could not complete their studies for
lack of funds.  With the little money we had, we were able to select a few of
these students and encourage them to finish their studies.  Some of those who
took advantage of this opportunity have already finished their secondary education and are now pursuing further studies at European and American universities.
MOZAMBICAN STUDENT REFUGEES IN TANGANYIKA
In June 1962, we came to Dar es Salaam with the expressed purpose of looking into the possibility of developing an educational programme for Mozambican
refugees.  We had already been approached by several of the refugees to discover if we could help them with scholarships in European or American universities.  During the summer of 1961, just after leaving the service of the
United Nations, Dr. Mondlane had spent two months helping Mozambican and Angolan
university students who, as a result of the Angola war, had departed en masse
from Portuguese universities.  During that period he had been able to talk to
many university officials who were interested in placing refugee students in
their institutions.  These various experiences were useful in weighing the
situation in which Mozambican student refugees were found here in Dar es Salaam.
While we were still in Dar es Salaam, I sought ways whereby I and a number
of people interested in teaching refugees could give lessons in English, French,
mathematics, history, etc., with the purpose of determining their levels of
education.  Those students who were able to follow satisfactorily these courses
were encouraged to apply for echolarBhips overseas, or for placement in high
schools.  By the time we left Dar es Salaam, I had compiled a list of candidates
for scholarships in Europe and America.  For those whose academic qualifications
could not meet the required standards, but who were quite far advanced towards
their university matriculation, I arranged for private families to sponsor them
and have them stay in their homes while attending American high schools.  A
number of Mozambican refugees were able to go to the United States and the Soviet
Union under this arrangement.  Since then, more than thirty Mozambican students
have gone overseas to take scholarships in various fields of study.
As I was working on the details of this programme, it became more and more
apparent that unless something drastic was done to prepare the refugees for the
university scholarships available, there would soon be no students capable of
accepting them.  Several countries \.ere  becoming interested in offering scholarships to Mozambican refugees,'^but there were nonqualified students to take them.
By the end of the year 1962, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution urging its member states to offer scholarships to students from Portuguese colonies.  This also increased the opportunities for higher education
for Mozambicans, and heightened our despair in regard to availability of students.
It was, therefore, imperative that some scheme be devised to expedite the preparation of students for higher education.