Local organizations help communities get ahead of the next drought

Mozambique | CERF | 2024

Manica, Mozambique. After a year-long drought has disrupted thousands of lives and livelihoods, local organizations in central Mozambique are helping people recover and prepare for future extreme weather.

The El Niño-related drought devastated crops and livestock in 2024 and left more than a million people in Manica and Sofala provinces without income.

Virginia Patrico Muro, a Programme Officer with Mozambican organization ANDA, noted, “We are identifying the issues and providing a solution. Our role is not just bolstering the work of UN partners but actually leading the response ourselves.”

Communities and local non-governmental organizations are now working with the Government and humanitarian partners to help people get back on their feet and better prepare for the next drought. One such NGO is the National Association for Self-Sustainable Development (ANDA), in Manica’s Macossa district.

Ms. Muro explained that, “We work with the World Food Programme and Food & Agriculture Organization to ensure assistance reaches people in Macossa communities. As a local organization, we have a deep understanding of the people, their life and what happens in the community. Our knowledge of the local culture, our proximity to the community and the good relationship with the district authorities are key factors that allow us to achieve good results.”

She added: “The community is effectively involved in the whole process; they play a leading role and make decisions on how the assistance should be conducted.”

Since October 2024, with the support of the Central Emergency Response Fund, communities have set up early warning systems and climate-proofing infrastructure with the help of ANDA, in partnership with UN agencies.

They built boreholes, drinking fountains, greenhouses and improved irrigation. Farmers planted drought-resistant seeds; and school meal plans were expanded, so that children facing food insecurity could continue their learning.

All this helps people prepare for potential droughts as well as recovering from the impact of El Niño. As climate change intensifies droughts worldwide, anticipatory action is a game-changer in protecting livelihoods and ensuring that communities remain self-sufficient.

“It’s important to work together to mitigate the impact of drought in our province and beyond, because working in isolation we may not achieve the desired results,” says Lourenço Lindonde, Secretary of State of Manica Province.

Edited from an original story from OCHA Mozambique.

Posted May 2025.
Pooled Fund impact stories