Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Anglican Alliance and HOPE Africa on a long-term response to Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, which struck Mozambique earlier this year. A joint program of the Anglican dioceses of Lebombo, Niassa and Nampula, the response will provide direct support to families who were impacted by the devastating storms.

Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall on March 14, 2019, hitting the provinces of Sofala, Manica, Zambezia, Tete and Inhambane, as well as the neighboring countries of Malawi and Zimbabwe, causing catastrophic damage and displacing thousands of people. According to the United Nations, Cyclone Idai was one of the worst weather-related disasters in the southern hemisphere. Weeks after this disaster, on April 26, Cyclone Kenneth struck the Cabo Delgado area, uprooting thousands more.

In the weeks following the storms, clergy and lay workers from the dioceses of Lebombo, Nampula and Niassa identified communities where no international aid had been received. With the support of Episcopal Relief & Development and other partners, the dioceses provided food, clothes, water purification tablets, hygiene products and other emergency supplies to vulnerable communities.

Episcopal Relief & Development is continuing to partner with the dioceses of Lebombo and Niassa on a joint program to help 4,000 families recover from the impact of the cyclones. The dioceses will distribute farming tools and seeds while conducting agricultural training to help families begin to grow their own food and to become resilient against future storms. Staff and volunteers will help with the rebuilding of infrastructure such as houses and schools, and will provide assistance to individuals to have their identity documents and other critical documents reissued. The program will run through 2020.

“Recovery from Cyclones Idai and Kenneth will be a long-term process,” said Nagulan Nesiah, Episcopal Relief & Development’s Senior Program Officer for Disaster Response and Risk Reduction. “This program will set the foundation on which to build future resilience efforts while addressing the immediate needs of vulnerable communities.”

Please continue to pray for the communities affected by this crisis as well as the clergy, staff and volunteers in the dioceses of Libombo, Niassa and Nampula as they continue to respond.