Diakonia is providing emergency relief in Mozambique

Mozambique has suffered devastating damage in the wake of Cyclone Idai and rainfall is now plunging the rescue operations into chaos. Diakonia’s partner organizations are on the spot and we are now launching an emergency fundraising and relief effort.

The situation is chaotic and hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes. The UN is calling it a nightmare scenario and estimates that about two million people in Mozambique and neighbouring Malawi have been affected by the disaster. Because Diakonia already has an established presence in Mozambique, we are rapidly able to coordinate with the help of other organizations.

“In such a chaotic situation, it is important that humanitarian action is coordinated to ensure high-quality aid that really reaches the people who so urgently need it. Diakonia is on the ground in Mozambique. We were there before and during the disaster and will remain there after the disaster,” says Helena Lind, Head of the Fundraising and Communication Department at Diakonia.

Diakonia is providing emergency relief in partnership with the ACT Alliance, of which it is a member, and local organizations are carrying out emergency work with our support. Diakonia’s country manager in Mozambique, William Antonio Mulhovo says that the greatest challenge faced by the rescue operation at the moment is lack of communication.

“All the systems are down in the part of the country affected by the cyclone and because the roads are flooded estimating the scale of the disaster is extremely difficult,” he says.

Coordination work is fully underway and the organizations are working as quickly as possible to reach people in need.