We are collecting donations for reconstruction and food supplies in Moçambique. In spring 2019, the two cyclones Idai and Kenneth robbed thousands of people of their harvest. The consequences are long-term, as they now lack a livelihood.
Read here what is currently happening in our project area.
“It’s clear that those who had the least before are affected the most.”
Jonas Wagner-Mörsdorf, our coordinator for Mozambique, visited the crisis area in Chimoio in June and shares his impressions.
What impressions are most vivid in your mind a week after the trip?
The contrast between city and countryside. In the town of Chimoio, you don’t see the devastation so much. Sometimes the power goes out or there is no internet. But when you travel to the countryside, where people live in mud huts, the hardship becomes more visible. It becomes clear that those who had the least before are affected the most. We met many families with single mothers. One of them was my age (29) but looked fifty. She was standing in front of a half-destroyed hut with ten children. It makes you wonder how these people will survive and find something to eat tomorrow. The fields are all destroyed, the food supplies are gone and so is the harvest.
How effective is the work of our partner organizations?
It is very ambivalent. Our partner organizations can help a lot of people. That’s great, of course. In the two districts of Minas Gerais and Matica alone, we have reached a total of 1,350 people. That’s great! On the other hand, we can only distribute food from time to time, not every day. Transporting it there is extremely difficult. It is transitional aid that cannot meet the huge demand for a long time. But it is enormously important.
What is the greatest need of the partner organizations?
Food is actually the biggest issue. Because almost everyone’s farmland or food supplies have been completely destroyed. You can now see that the first seedlings have been planted again. But it will take time until the harvest, just like here. This is for the future, not for today. That’s why transitional aid is so important. Especially for those most in need. Winter is coming soon and temperatures are dropping. Many people are only poorly protected against the cold. Together with our partner organizations, we are thinking about whether we could distribute blankets. Then there is the big question of how the houses can be rebuilt. This is clearly beyond our budget, as it affects thousands of people. It is a particularly urgent issue among many young people because they are afraid.
What are they afraid of?
They are worried about their livelihoods. Many young people have bought a small house and a bit of land with money they have painstakingly saved up. Most of them had to move in with their parents, relatives or neighbors after the storm because the cyclone made their little house uninhabitable. Now they are afraid that someone else will steal the land and claim it for themselves. There is no land registry office to document land ownership and ensure order. That’s why the question of how to rebuild their house as quickly as possible is very, very important.
Where does tdhs or the partner organization contribute its expertise?
Our expertise has already come into play. Our partners from Centro Alberto de Jesus told us that shortly after the disaster, the children and young people mainly needed someone to talk to. They lost everything they had bought with the little money they had. Everything was washed away. Many of them were very afraid of the future. Psychosocial support was very important. It is also crucial to offer a safe place to go. Lemusica has a small school class where the young people can go every day and continue with their schooling. They also get something to eat there and can get help if they need it. It is very important that our partner organizations are really close by so that the young people know where they can find someone if they need them.
More on the situation in Mozambique in this issue of our magazine
09.05.2019
Pictures from Moçambique
Despite poor communication links, we have received a few pictures from Mozambique of the distribution campaigns in Chimoio. Our partner organization Lemusica supplies entire families there with food and school children with materials.
Over 60 families have received relief supplies. The need of these 650 or so people is greatest in Chimoio, which is why they were selected for the aid. The campaign was accompanied by a consultant from LeMuSiCa and four community representatives, who kept an eye on the fairness of the distribution of goods.
In addition, almost a hundred members of youth clubs – mainly girls and young women – received new school materials and uniforms that were lost in the cyclone. We would like to thank the community representatives for their support.
30.04.2019
Second cyclone plunges Mozambique deeper into crisis
Mozambique was devastated by a cyclone for the second time in a short space of time. After Cyclone Idai brought the country to its knees in March, the even stronger Cyclone Kenneth brought new devastation on Thursday. This time, northern Mozambique was affected. For the second time, the winds have torn down entire villages, including palm trees, and with the downpours come the floods.
The situation in Mozambique has worsened drastically with Cyclone Kenneth. Within just over a month, the number of people affected has risen from 1.7 million to 2.6 million due to the new disaster. This is according to media estimates. Many of them are now homeless, have no income or crops and have no access to medical care. Humanitarian aid is now even more urgent. The country is groaning under the plight of these people.
23.04.2019
In Moçambique, the laborious and protracted reconstruction is underway.
Four weeks after the catastrophe, in which events came thick and fast, Mozambique is still in the early stages of a slow and protracted reconstruction. Although the flood has drained away in many places, the damage to houses and transportation routes remains. In our project area around the town of Chimoio, there is still a lack of basic supplies: Food is in short supply, as are soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary towels and other hygiene products.
In some places, there are still no emergency shelter centers. Many families have been living out in the open since the storm, exposed to the elements. Our partner organization LeMuSiCa is supporting three large homeless families: one of them has nine children, another has 12 and the third is a single mother who has taken in her nephews and is now looking after a total of 13 children. They urgently need help.
It is now important for parents of smaller families to know that their children are well looked after and kept busy. This is the only way they can concentrate on rebuilding. As the schools have not been spared from the destruction either, lessons are being held under trees in some places. In Gondola, for example. Our partner organizations have provided the class with school materials that were lost in the storm. Gradually, youth clubs are resuming their activities to support the affected families.
The situation is life-threatening for HIV/Aids sufferers. In addition to their belongings, many have lost all their medical documents and even the medication they depend on in the storm. LeMuSiCa helps them to get the necessary papers back and start treatment. Psychosocial support is also important here, because with a disease like HIV/AIDS, inner resistance and a lack of prospects often rob people of the motivation to undergo regular treatment. However, medication is the only way to keep the virus in check.
Even if the situation is now better under control, the consequences of the hurricane will continue to affect the country for a long time to come. Every franc is needed to provide the population with shelter, food, medicine and, especially for children and young people, psychological support as quickly as possible. Thank you very much for your contribution!
29.03.2019, 6 pm
Relief for parents and coping with trauma
Caring for food, rebuilding the demolished houses and at the same time looking after the children who are still traumatized by the storm – the situation in Chimoio in western Mozambique is very stressful for families. Especially because it is difficult to transport relief supplies there and thus to procure food for the population. Although the floods are also subsiding in the flooded area around Beira, the masses of water are leaving debris everywhere.
We now know that two of the four care centers run by our partner organizations need to be rebuilt. In the two intact centers, our partners are now offering programs for children and young people to relieve the burden on parents. Daily structures with games, discussions and other activities are intended to distract the children from everyday life in the disaster area until they can go back to school. This way, parents know that their children are well looked after and can focus on rebuilding their lives.
As in Zimbabwe, the boys urgently need psychosocial support and distraction from their traumatic experiences. Otherwise, their thoughts will constantly revolve around the tragic events, which can damage their psyche in the long term. Our partner organizations work with the solution-focused approach (SFA) to mentally prepare the young people and children for the way out of the crisis. In most cases, this is done in group discussions and, in the case of particularly severe trauma, in individual therapy sessions.
The partner organizations are distributing school supplies, as much of it was lost in the hurricane. They would also like to provide the children with food and drink. However, it is still unclear whether the organization will be able to obtain any food at all. The situation is precarious, which is why violence is increasingly becoming a problem. Especially against the easily vulnerable, such as young mothers. The center is also intended to provide a safe place for them, because otherwise they have nowhere else to go in Chimoio.
22.03.2019, 6 pm
We care for traumatized children and young people
The cyclone not only raged in Mozambique but also hit eastern Zimbabwe. Trevor Chrimambowa, the director of our partner organization MMPZ, was asked to help in the disaster area. He has many years of experience in psychosocial support (PSS) and in counseling youth workers. He heads a team for psychosocial support in the crisis area. Many children and young people have had terrible experiences and are often traumatized. We were able to ask Trevor a few questions despite the poor connection.
What is the situation in Zimbabwe? What can be seen in the crisis area?
The situation here is bad, especially because the crisis area is in the mountains. The roads are impassable and we are flown in by helicopter with the rescue workers and doctors. Masses of water tore down houses in the cyclone. Many people were buried. Many children and young people had to watch as people died. Some lay next to their dead siblings and friends until they were rescued. And there are still people trapped. Teams are trying to get them out and recover the bodies.
What are the most urgent needs of the people there? What special needs do the children and young people have?
The most urgent needs are food and clothing. The teams here distribute the essentials. The traumatized children need psychological support and need something to do so that their thoughts do not constantly revolve around what they have experienced. Psychological consequences of the trauma may occur in the near future. Parents and caregivers need to be prepared for this. They need to know what they can do if they react to the trauma and where they can get help.
What specific help can you provide locally?
We were asked to lead the activation of young people and children in the crisis area as technical partners. We were given a team of social workers and project staff for this purpose. Our team helps to assess the psychosocial condition of the children and young people. It is important to find out whether they need special help or immediate measures. We help to keep the children occupied because the schools are closed.
We explain to the parents and families how the children and young people might react to the trauma and how they can help with certain behaviors. We show them our PSS tools so that they too can later recognize which young people need further help after the immediate intervention. In addition, reporting points and information channels must be set up between psychological support and social welfare so that psychological help reaches the right place.
What would be different if you and your team weren’t there?
Without our contribution, people are rescued and provided with what they need, but nobody cares about the psychological damage to young people and children. For many boys, the silent cry for help would go unnoticed. This would have repercussions later that would not be associated with the trauma today. Unknowingly, teachers, parents and caregivers would re-traumatize the children again and again. Unfortunately, this has already happened here. An untrained organization let the children recount their experiences. That is a no-go in trauma care. We immediately advised against it.
21.03.2019, 6 pm
Water causes diseases
After the devastating floods, the masses of water are now also causing medical damage: The first cases of cholera have been confirmed in Beira. The highly contagious diarrheal disease is often fatal without treatment. The poor hygienic conditions threaten a dangerous epidemic. This can only be prevented with a rapid supply of clean drinking water and food, as weakened people are particularly susceptible.
In certain parts of Beira, the flooding is slowly subsiding. This means some relief, but only for these regions. In other places, the level continues to rise with the water from open dams in the mountains. The crisis is far from over.
More and more rescue teams are arriving in Mozambique from all over the world. Their biggest challenge remains logistics, as the flood continues to make many land routes impassable and the persistent rain is restricting air traffic. Along the coast, fishermen are using their boats to get people off their roofs. The airspace coordinator in the crisis area is talking about 60,000 people who need to be rescued from rooftops.
In the meantime, we have also received the first pictures from our partner organizations in Chimoio. The water has drained away in many places there. However, the rudimentary houses and huts hardly offer any protection against the recurring rainfall.
21.03.2019, 4:30 pm
Radar image shows catastrophe
The University of Edinbrugh managed to penetrate the cloud cover with radar beams and take a satellite image of the flooding. It shows how the sea is now rising deep inland. It will take time for the water to recede.
20.03.2019, 6 pm
Young people are stuck – without a roof and food
Our partner organization Lemusica reports that a group of young people are stuck in a remote training center. The storm has destroyed the access roads and the buildings. Now they have to stay out in the open and food is becoming scarcer every day. Rescue from the air is still a long way off. The people in the town of Chimoio, where Lemusica is based, have also been badly affected. Several hundred young participants, their families and Lemusica employees lost their homes in the hurricane. And many local organizations lost their infrastructure. At one school, all the building materials used to build more classrooms were washed away.
20.03.2019, 5 pm
Emergency aid in Mozambique gets off to a slow start
As our National Coordinator Paula Macave reports from the meeting with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), aid from emergency aid organizations is slowly getting underway. Due to the heavy rain in the region and the difficult communication, it remains a major challenge to obtain important information.
A national state of emergency has now been declared, but the aid teams still lack an overview. The focus is now on short-term aid, as many people need to be rescued from roofs and trees. In order to prevent outbreaks of disease, people urgently need to be supplied with water. People are drinking contaminated water due to a lack of water and can contract dangerous diarrheal diseases as a result. Another major problem is finding emergency accommodation for the homeless, as many buildings have been destroyed or are uninhabitable. Logistics are extremely difficult due to the destroyed roads and the overwhelmed airport in Beira.
The disaster is not over yet. The United Nations assumes that the situation on the ground will worsen because there will be more rainfall by tomorrow. There are also fears that neighboring Zimbabwe, which is equally affected, will soon open its dams to combat the flooding. This water flows through Mozambique towards the ocean.
20.03.2019, 11 a.m.
Third partner organization reached!
We are relieved. Our national coordinator Paula Macave was also able to reach the last partner organization. Fortunately, everyone there is unharmed. However, as everywhere in the region, the material damage is enormous. The young people we work with have been hit particularly hard. Their families have lost everything within days. What little they had, the roof over their heads and the harvest. We fear that the destruction of the fields will trigger a serious humanitarian crisis. We are therefore supporting our partner organizations with initial emergency aid and reconstruction. To this end, we have set up an emergency relief fund for Mozambique. We are grateful for every donation!
19.03.2019, 3 pm
Continue to avoid contact with remote locations.
Our National Coordinator Paula Macave describes the situation in Mozambique
“The situation in Moçambique is very worrying and there are many fatalities, even if the full extent of the situation cannot yet be conclusively assessed.
Communication is very difficult. Yesterday I spoke to a member of staff from our partner organization. She reported that many people in the villages have lost all their possessions. At the other partner organization that we were able to reach, employees have lost their homes and many more have been flooded. The villages where the partners work are cut off. Many access roads have been destroyed and there is no telephone connection. Contact with the remote third organization is therefore not possible. It is still raining heavily in the affected province of Manica, which is making rescue work much more difficult.”
Here pictures show the extent of the catastrophe!
19.03.2019, 10 a.m.
Devastation hard to estimate
The gale-force winds swept over the half million inhabitants of Beira at 160 km/h. Rain and sea flooded the streets and tore down even solid houses. The extent of the disaster is only slowly becoming clear; communication has broken down in large parts of the country. But one thing is certain: the consequences for the population are devastating. Almost 90% of the city was destroyed. After a flight over the affected areas, President Nyusi spoke of over 1,000 deaths.
The partner organizations of terre des hommes schweiz were also hit hard. The cyclone made its way from the coast of Beira towards Zimbabwe and hit the town of Chimoio. Three of our Mozambican partner organizations are based there – we were able to reach two of them.
The good news is that, as things stand, none of our partners’ employees, relatives or project participants have lost their lives. However, many houses were destroyed and flooded in the storm. The extent of the damage to our partner organizations can hardly be estimated on the ground. There was no information from the third partner organization in Chimoio. It has been cut off from communication.
Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. Almost two thirds of the people live on less than two Swiss francs a day. “Idai” not only destroyed houses and the few possessions people had, but the cyclone also wiped out the entire harvest. Several hundred thousand people are facing a serious humanitarian crisis.
To enable our partners to rebuild quickly, we have set up an emergency fund for Mozambique. Thank you very much for your support. We will keep you up to date on the situation on the ground here.
