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Mozambique

WFP Mozambique Country Brief, February 2023

Situation Report
Source
Posted
Originally published

In Numbers

  • 338,345 people Assisted in February 2023

  • 1,076 MT of food distributed

  • US$ 458,200 in Cash-Based Transfers

  • US$ 127 million six-month (Mar – Aug 2023) net funding requirements

Emergency Response

Northern Mozambique displacement crisis

  • WFP has been struggling to resource the response to conflict-affected areas in recent months. To stretch available resources and meet rising needs, WFP has distributed reduced rations since April 2022. Despite this, few contributions have arrived on time, forcing WFP to make the difficult decision to put on hold emergency food assistance in the north in February 2023. This occurred at the peak of the lean and cyclone seasons and before the harvest in March. Yet, in February 2023, due to distributions remaining from the January cycle, WFP assisted 265,549 beneficiaries located in the conflict-affected areas.

  • WFP, in partnership with the Government, and national and international partners, is working on the empowerment of displaced families and vulnerable host populations. In the district of Metuge, WFP has delivered fishing kits (boat, nets, and other fishing gear) to 165 beneficiaries, aiming to reduce unconditional humanitarian assistance for self-sufficiency and peace building.

Cyclone Freddy

  • The month of February was marked with the landfall of the severe Tropical Storm Freddy leaving disastrous consequences in southern and central Mozambique. According to OCHA, as of 8 March, a total of 239,518 people had been affected, with 10 injuries, 21 deaths and 13,516 houses flooded. Moreover, 5,124 people were in accommodation centres, some of which repurposed from the 1,075 schools affected. Additionally, 12 water service systems, 60 health facilities, 92,796 hectares of land and 1,265 kilometres of road were damaged due to the heavy rains and flooding.

  • WFP responded with rapid assessments, key logistics support, on-the-ground coordination with the National Institute of Disaster Risk Reduction (INGD) and other partners by providing beneficiary information management and provision of technical assistance.
    Furthermore, 7.5 metric tonnes of food, personnel and medicines were transported to Chibuto in Maputo province, and 300 families in Inhambane were provided with 7-day food rations.

Social Protection

• WFP continues to support national institutions (INAS) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action in using social protection programmes to respond to natural shocks and seasonal food insecurity.

• WFP has been supporting INAS to provide mobile cash transfers to 167,000 urban and peri-urban families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through the national shock responsive social protection programme (PASD-PE). Over 16,000 households in Tete province received their cash entitlements, and programme implementation in Zambezia province is finalized, reaching about 72,000 households. At present, WFP is starting the implementation of the PASD-PE response in Niassa province covering over 79,300 households.

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