Mozambique has been left devastated by the impact of two powerful tropical storms. In the space of six weeks, Mozambique was hit, first, by Cyclone Idai and then Cyclone Kenneth, which left the country and its people in need.
Nearly 250,000 homes have been completely destroyed in Mozambique, leaving 1.4 million children without a safe space to sleep at night.
Families who have lost everything are now fighting to survive in makeshift shelters without adequate food or clean water supplies.
Today, over 50% of the nation’s crops have been destroyed by flood waters. This means that children, who are already in a vulnerable position, are likely to face shortages if they don’t receive prompt humanitarian aid. Please provide humanitarian aid to those affected by both cyclones by donating today.
Devastating Impact of Cyclone Idai
The region faced weeks of heavy rain in early 2019, which left the ground waterlogged and unable to absorb any further rainfall. The land and surrounding rivers were already at breaking point when Cyclone Idai hit the eastern coast in March.
The deluge of rain, combined with hurricane-force winds, caused severe flooding across the region, which damaged infrastructure and the area’s clean water supply.
In Mozambique, the port city of Beira was the worst hit and suffered widespread damage, making it almost inaccessible to aid workers. The city’s main road network is completely destroyed making it difficult for anyone to get in or out.
Hundreds of thousands of buildings, including the city’s Beira Hospital, are damaged. The destruction has seriously hampered medical care, with its emergency and surgical departments closed.
Further Damage Caused By Cyclone Kenneth
This is the first time in recorded history two strong tropical cyclones have hit Mozambique in the same season.
Tropical Cyclone Kenneth follows on the heels of tropical Cyclone Idai, which made landfall on the 14th of March, leaving more than 600 people dead and an estimated 1 million children in need.
Cyclone Kenneth affected an additional 368,000 children when the storm made landfall in the Cabo Delgado province of northern Mozambique.
The Category 4 storm brought torrential rain to the regions and put affected areas at heightened risk of lethal flooding and landslides.
The devastation caused by Cyclones Idai and Kenneth brought the cumulative number of children in need of humanitarian assistance to nearly 1.4 million.
To put that in perspective, that’s the equivalent of every child in Ireland needing urgent humanitarian aid.
How You Can Help Children in Mozambique
UNICEF teams are on the ground working to keep children safe while providing essential supplies and medical care. But the scale of the emergency is huge and getting worse.
With dirty flood water contaminating water sources, children, especially those under the age of five, face the deadly threat of cholera, diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases.
Clean Drinking Water
A donation of just €50 could provide enough safe drinking water to protect 5 children from dirty water for an entire month.
Contaminated water kills. In emergency situations like this one, a lack of clean water is the biggest factor in the spread of deadly waterborne diseases like cholera.
Emergency Supply of Food
50% of Mozambique’s crops have been destroyed as a result of the storms. Without their staple source of food, many families will struggle to feed their children.
By donating €75, you could provide enough life-saving emergency food to nourish 10 children for two weeks.
Life-Saving Medicine
Cyclone Idai and Kenneth destroyed everything in their path, including hospitals and essential health centres.
€100 could provide essential medicines to treat 12 sick or injured children and ensure they live to see another day.
Donate Now
We know children and their families need safe drinking water, health supplies and emergency shelter.
Please donate now to help provide life-saving assistance to children affected by this disaster.
