Shortly after the cyclone struck Mozambique, Humanity & Inclusion’s Claude Briade visited some of the poorest areas of Beira. He describes the poverty-stricken communities: “Ramshackle housing, no regulation, poor hygiene, inadequate health infrastructure. In ‘normal’ times, life is extremely hard in these tangled alleys. What managed to emerge despite this poverty has been completely destroyed by Cyclone Idai.”
For Lucia, a 38 year old single mother of five, the impact of the storm was devastating. In the photo above, she sits in front of what remains of her families’ home a few days after the cyclone. Lucia managed to salvage some possessions from the debris–clothes, a tarp, and bucket–but now faces the challenge of keeping the children dry in a home with no roof and protecting them from disease like cholera.
Cholera epidemic
Cholera has since taken hold in districts like Lucia’s, with almost 5,000 confirmed cases. That’s why, Humanity & Inclusion will distribute hygiene kits, which include basic items such as hand and laundry soaps, to 8,000 families.
Supporting the most vulnerable
“Humanity & Inclusion has pledged to help the most vulnerable victims of the cyclone: people with disabilities, orphaned and chronically ill children and isolated seniors–many of which can be found in Beira’s forgotten poor communities.”
Improving access to aid
Emergency logistics colleagues are reinforcing capacity and working to open access points to rural areas shut off from humanitarian aid. Our team provided trucks and materials to clear 10 of Beira’s impoverished communities. Local residents are also employed to collect debris and clean the streets.
In addition, HI will also distribute 2,500 shelter and repair kits in these districts to help people rebuild their destroyed homes.
Humanity & Inclusion in Mozambique
Humanity & Inclusion has been working in Mozambique since 1986, and is best known there for our work helping victims of landmines and other explosive ordnance left from the country’s civil war. We ran a large demining operation that wrapped up when the country declared itself mine free in 2015. Most recently, staff worked to promote the rights and social participation of people with disabilities, support civil society to improve the social inclusion of people with disabilities, and prevent the development of disabilities.
Learn more about our work in Mozambique.
Photo: Lucia in front of the remains of her home, destroyed by Cyclone Idai.