Aid to Mozambique cyclone victims critical to ending misery, saving ecosystems

A house in Mozambique damaged by Cyclone Jokwe.

The misery of those left without shelter has been added to by an unusual cold wave. This latest disaster follows massive floods in January, which left an estimated 240,000 people homeless. The government's resources to respond to disaster and the capacity of local relief agencies have been stretched to the breaking point.

"The first priority is to provide shelter," says Barbara Jackson, CARE's Country Director in Mozambique. "We are concerned that people may cut down even more mangroves in order to rebuild their houses. That would put their future livelihoods and the local ecology in danger."

CARE, which has also been working with the World Wildlife Fund on conservation and livelihoods, wants to help build emergency shelter for at least 500 families. It will bring in wooden poles and shelter materials, in order to keep people from denuding local trees.

CARE is also planning to provide seeds to replace the harvest lost in the storm, and will coordinate with the UN's World Food Program to help distribute emergency food rations. The estimated cost of this emergency relief is $475,000.

While the floods from last January have started to recede, many people have hesitated to return to their villages because they have no shelter and no way of earning a living. The fact that so many people have been displaced and are now depending on relief is further stretching coping mechanisms. 

CARE has been working in Mozambique since 1986, and has played an important role in supporting emergency preparedness.