ReliefWeb

Over the last two weeks ActionAid's work has been severely affected by the exceptionally bad weather hitting southern Mozambique, with floodwaters destroying homes and farmland in many of the areas in which the charity works.
Such is the scale of the disaster that the Mozambican government has been almost overwhelmed by the task facing it. There is therefore a need for practical help and funding from major international donors, both in the short-term and during the coming months as the country starts to rebuild - across Mozambique hundreds of thousands have been made homeless and destitute.

As its contribution to the immediate relief programme, ActionAid is liaising with local government and major donors to help co-ordinate distribution of emergency help to various accommodation centres for people displaced by the floods. ActionAid is also supporting water and sanitation services in the accommodation centres in liaison with UNICEF and other agencies. Ensuring adequate sanitation is essential to combat the risk of cholera and dysentery caused by poor hygiene. Within the centres ActionAid is also discussing the option of organising temporary schools for children displaced by the floods.

In the medium to long term, the charity will be supporting people's own initiatives to re-establish their livelihoods. A major component of this will be the provision of seeds and hand tools to allow families to take advantage of the current planting season to produce their own food for the coming months...
ENDS

Further information from the London Press Office on 020 7561 7614 or 020 7561 7561.