In the heart of Guro district lies the administrative post of Nhamassonge. It is a land of around eleven thousand inhabitants, known by the name it inherited from the massonge, small cucumbers with spiky skins that grow resiliently in that hot, dusty soil dotted with centuries-old baobab trees.
It is here that Carlitos Eusébio Zondane lives, a 35-year-old man whose life is made up of work, dreams and persistence. 
At the side of the main road, very close to the administrative post headquarters, alongside others, stands his stall — simple, yet full of life. There, Carlitos sells soft drinks, small food items and the traditional malambe (baobab fruit). At the same time, he performs another essential role for the community: he is an E-mola agent, facilitating transactions and connecting people in an increasingly digital world. 
But Carlitos did not stop there.
Driven by a broader vision, he decided to learn a new profession. In 2024, he was selected for a training course promoted under the DELPAZ programme, in cooperation with district authorities, as part of local economic development. It lasted only two weeks but was intense — enough time to awaken a new vocation in him. He became a mechanical metalworker.
The choice was not accidental. In his region, there was no mechanical metalworker. Where many saw a limitation, Carlitos saw an opportunity.
Recently, he took another step: he opened his own small metal workshop, powered by energy from solar panels installed in the village. For Carlitos, every piece he works on represents not only income, but also pride.
His determination has taken him further than he ever imagined. For the first time, he boarded a plane bound for Maputo. There, in November 2025, he took part in a conference organised by the Institute for Multi-Party Democracy (IMD), a DELPAZ partner. He keeps the photographs from that trip carefully — especially those in which he appears alongside Dom Dinis Sengulane and Oscar Monteiro. Whenever he shows them, his eyes light up.
“It was wonderful!” he says, unable to hide his emotion.
Despite his achievements, Carlitos keeps his feet firmly on the ground. He pays his taxes and works every day to improve his craft. His greatest wish now is clear: to obtain an official metalworking licence. “I already have the certificate, but I know I need to save some money to get the licence.”
And so Carlitos continues, between the sound of metalwork and the movement of the road, building his future with his own hands. In a place where opportunities are rare, he has become an example of how, with courage and determination, paths can be opened — even in the middle of the mato.