SOUTHERN AFRICA - Heavy rains hampered
critical emergency response efforts in parts of southern Africa last week.
In Mozambique, approximately one million people have lost their homes,
at least 180,000 of which are children under the age of five. Many children
have been separated from their families amidst rescue efforts. Some 250,000
people are in 64 refugee camps, and over 200 people have died. Floods have
destroyed thousands of acres of farmland and have killed some 30,000 head
of cattle. Epidemics of cholera, malaria, and meningitis are imminent.
Landmines laid during Mozambique's
civil war, which ended in the early 1990's, pose a new threat to returning
villagers. Receding floodwaters will leave many of the deadly weapons exposed,
unstable, or swept to new areas. Previously de-mined areas are no longer
considered 100% safe.
Nearby Madagascar is also suffering from severe flooding and mudslides. There, cyclones Eline and Gloria have forced more than 600,000 people from their homes, including approximately 250,000 women and 130,000 children.
In Mozambique, CWS has helped to provide urgently needed supplies to families made homeless by the unprecedented flooding. And, once immediate relief needs are met, we'll be working for the next 6-9 months to help rural families that lost all household and agricultural supplies to re-establish their farming capacity, as they return to their home areas.
Working in partnership, CWS plans to provide the following: In Mozambique, more blankets and tarps for 24,400 individuals as they return to washed out homes. In Zimbabwe, also hit by torrential rainfall, blankets for 4,500 families - more than 20,000 people. And, rural resettlement kits for 5,200 returning families in Mozambique and 8,000 families in Madagascar - kits that include blankets, plastic sheeting, mosquito nets, health kits, landmine awareness materials, cooking utensils, a charcoal cook stove, wash basin, plastic jerry can, basic food stuffs (rice, beans, maize, sugar, salt, cooking oil), seeds, and tools. Your financial contributions to CWS help make this response possible.