Community health management

The safety of all our stakeholders – including our employees, the project workforce, and the communities we work with – is a core value. We are committed to protecting the health and safety of every person associated with our activities, whether directly or indirectly. By prioritizing health and safety, we are building resilience in our long-term business strategies and in neighboring communities. We comply with applicable laws and regulations wherever we conduct business.

To understand the potential public health impacts of our project in the Palma District, a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for the onshore components was completed in 2013. In 2018, the assessment was updated to consider broader areas of the Palma and Mocímboa da Praia districts as well as the transport corridor. The main objectives of the project’s HIA were to:

• Define and manage any potential spatial and temporal impacts
• Avoid or minimize any potential significant adverse health impacts and ensure management of residual impacts
• Harness project benefits to create large and small-scale community health investment and development plans
• Increase the likelihood of sustainable community development

The Mozambique LNG Project’s Community Health Management and Monitoring Plan (CHMMP) is the result of the project’s HIA and guides the development of specific community health programs. The CHMMP details specific health programs and activities, implementation processes, proposed locations, duration, potential partners, and monitoring and evaluation criteria.

Our assessment revealed several potential impacts due to an increase of people and activity within related areas. To help manage these impacts, the project’s CHMMP includes the following measures:

• Supporting the development of basic health services for the population in the project area of influence including the resettlement-affected communities
• Developing malaria control programs for workplace and communities
• Developing project policies and programs related to tuberculosis and HIV
• Developing and designing appropriate site-based medical systems
• Developing contractor management programs related to accommodation and recruitment
• Developing influx population management and labor recruitment plans
• Supporting influx-induced town planning and capacity building strategies
• Supporting local authorities in creating development plans for affected areas

As part of the Mozambique LNG Project’s Community Health Management and Monitoring Plan (CHMMP), Pathfinder International, a health-sector focused NGO in Mozambique, has been retained to implement an integrated community health program. The five-year program focuses efforts in the Palma and Mocímboa da Praia districts to improve these communities’ overall health.

To reach this objective, Pathfinder’s integrated community health program aims to:

• Expand community access to health-related information and resources
• Improve community-based health services that prevent and treat HIV, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted infections
• Promote healthy sexual and reproductive behaviors
• Enhance maternal and child health care, specifically children younger than five years old, pregnant women, and adolescent girls and boys
• Promote access to clean water, better sanitation, and hygiene behaviors

As part of an integrated health programming approach, TotalEnergies and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand the reach of health interventions in the Palma and Mocímboa da Praia districts. Through this partnership, USAID will contribute to the promotion of integrated health programming in these geographic areas.

The aim of these joint programming efforts is to:

• Improve the reproductive health and well-being of adolescent girls and young women
• Reduce the occurrence of child, early, and forced marriage in the area

To meet these objectives, the MoU focuses efforts on improving multi-sectoral enablers such as economic, social, reproductive, and educational empowerment.

The project’s 2013 HIA involved a baseline health survey of the communities on the Afungi Peninsula. The survey revealed a mean point malaria prevalence of 52.3% across sampled sites. The survey also highlighted the community’s limited malaria-related awareness and knowledge which may result in poor health-seeking behavior.

To improve these Palma District community conditions, we have developed a Community Malaria Control Plan (CMCP). The CMCP aligns with Mozambique’s National Malaria Control Plan and will focus on program activities during the project’s construction phase.