Mozambique: “Food brings hope, and this is exactly what people need here”
Two weeks after Cyclone Eloise hit Mozambique, solidarity, and hope help victims in temporary accommodation centres.
By Yuri Arabadgi de Andrade
It was around 3 AM on 23 January when the rain and the strong wind began. A few minutes later the power supply was cut. Everything was dark. The sound of roofs being torn off the houses and huge trees hitting the ground and was terrifying for the residents of Beira, Mozambique.
“We could see the water levels rising, but it was too late to leave the house. The only thing we could do was pray for the best”, said Maria Brito, a mother of six who found shelter with her family in a temporary accommodation centre in Beira, where the World Food Programme (WFP), the Government and other humanitarian partners have been providing food, shelter, and hygiene products to more than 17,000 people.
Less than two years after Cyclone Idai devastated Mozambique leaving 1.7 million Mozambicans in need of humanitarian assistance, Cyclone Eloise made landfall in the same place, on 23 January 2021. According to the Government, more than 441,000 people were affected by the Cyclone and nearly 44,000 are currently displaced. 745 classrooms were damaged or destroyed, affecting over 83,000 students.
Sara Luis, a mother of two who spent almost a year rebuilding her house after Cyclone Idai, lost everything once more. The last time she saw her house, it was completely submerged by Cyclone Eloise. Seeking safety from the flooding, she spent the following two weeks in one of 14 accommodation centres in Beira. Although Sara is being looked after in the centre, she said “there is no place like home. It was not much, but it was my house”. Once she leaves the center, she plans on staying with her sister while she rebuilds her life once again.
Amidst great suffering, solidarity and hope have helped the community survive this new disaster. Maria Brito, a mother of six, and Graça Quimbine, mother of three, were also forced to sacrifice their houses to the storm. Now, they have volunteered to cook the food provided by WFP for almost 1,000 people in their accommodation centre. The two women wake up at 4:30 AM every day to start preparing breakfast. Today’s dish is called Papa, corn flour boiled with water and sugar. For lunch, they will cook Xima, a thick corn porridge which is popular all over Mozambique, with beans. Asked why they have volunteered for such intense work, Maria answers:
“Food brings hope, and this is exactly what people need here”. For Graça, “it is priceless having the opportunity to see the smile on children’s faces when their bellies are full.”
Beyond supporting affected populations in the aftermath of natural disasters by providing food assistance, WFP takes a pro-active approach to rebuild livelihoods while addressing climate shocks. “After Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, WFP’s recovery programme benefited 1.2 million people in Mozambique,” says Antonella D’Aprile, WFP Mozambique Country Representative. “Food assistance was provided to communities involved in repairing roads and bridges, rebuilding homes and developing community farms to boost food production”. By helping communities to rebuild livelihoods, WFP helped people to restart their lives and give hope that better days were ahead. It has also helped Mozambicans to become more climate resilient. In the district of Sengo (Sofala), for instance, thanks to WFP, the local community has been replanting trees in the mangroves which can protect the village from erosion, provide them materials to improve their houses and protect marine life which is essential for their livelihoods.
The same will be done for those who are facing the consequences of Cyclone Eloise. More than providing food assistance in all 31 temporary accommodation centres, WFP is designing a long-term recovery plan to help cyclone-affected people to get back on their feet.
WFP operations in Sofala province — including response to cyclones and the ongoing lean season assistance — were made possible thanks to the generous support of USAID (United Stated Agency of International Development), European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the United Kingdom, and the government of Germany.
