Emergency assistance and disaster prevention
Due to global warming, Mozambique has been hit by disasters with increasing frequency over the last 30 years. According to experts, Mozambique is one of the countries most affected by the climate crisis and will have to invest up to a third of its gross domestic product in climate-related damage in the future. The example of Mozambique clearly shows that successful reconstruction projects alone will not be able to solve the problem, but that global compensation mechanisms are needed for countries affected by climate change.
In March 2019, the devastating Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique. Over 1000 people died and the floods forced hundreds of thousands to flee. Solidar Suisse provided emergency aid immediately after the disaster, in close cooperation with the Humanitarian Aid Unit of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and was involved for years in the reconstruction of the affected people: by building wells and water systems as well as homes for resettled families and the construction of a new primary school, a small hospital and a police station. The families who fled the floods in Muwawa in the district of Sussundenga have now found a new home on safe ground with good basic services.
Climate change is here
Floods, cyclones and droughts threaten to become even more intense due to climate change. This has serious consequences for the population: destroyed houses and health centres, contaminated drinking water wells, ruined harvests and hungry people without seeds. Extreme poverty and weak state institutions mean that disasters hit people hard and they barely have the means to help themselves and finance reconstruction.
Woman without food due to extreme drought. © Solidar Suisse
Better prevention through participatory debate
Prevention and building resilience among local communities are key to ensuring that disasters do not hit unprepared people.
Solidar Suisse supports district authorities in training local disaster protection committees. These committees raise awareness among the population for the risks and consequences of disasters and inform them of the most important emergency assistance measures. We also help set up early warning systems and run simulation exercises.
Solidar Suisse also champions the participation of inhabitants in discussions on investments in districts and communities. This enables them to highlight weak points with regard to disaster prevention and to give tips on escape routes and places that are safe when flooding hits. When they are involved they are also better informed of protection measures.
Impact
Following Cyclone Idai, Solidar Suisse has provided access to drinking water and latrines for 15,000 people in the emergency relief camps and then 10,000 people in resettlement villages since mid-2019. The distribution of seeds and tools has enabled people to become self-sufficient again. The people in Muwawa in the Sussundenga district - as in other villages - once again have clean drinking water, a school, a hospital and a police station. As construction workers, they have helped to build their own houses and infrastructure. The people have also learnt how to grow crops more sustainably.
Donations for the people in Mozambique
Your donation will help to support people in Mozambique and provide for better disaster prevention.