Flood Recovery in Mozambique

by the United Methodist Committee on Relief

Date: October 20, 2000

In a recent interview, the Rev. Morais Quissico, emergency projects coordinator for The United Methodist Church in Mozambique, said, "Living in emergencies has become somehow part of the normal life in Mozambique."

The people of Mozambique suffered through a 16 year war, and nine years later they were beginning to recover when the country was hit by cyclones and catastrophic flooding. More than 500 people died, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. Much of the country's infrastructure was destroyed, undoing years of war recovery work.

From the beginning of the crisis The United Methodist Church (UMC), in Mozambique and in the United States, has been involved in relief and recovery efforts. After the Rev. Quissico was appointed by Bishop João Somane Machado to oversee the emergency response work, he traveled to the United States for a week to meet with United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) staff, receive training, and develop plans for further response and recovery.

In the past several months, Rev. Quissico has facilitated relief efforts that include: food for people who lost everything in the floods– homes, possessions, food stores, crops, and often their means of livelihood maize grinding machines mosquito netting sticks and metal sheets to construct traditional houses. wind up radios, which require no electricity or batteries. These allow flood survivors to follow news related to the emergency, hear information on preventing and treating diseases like cholera and malaria, and hear future warnings of floods or cyclones. medical supplies and health kits. a contract with the government to build 120 homes in a new development in Magoanini, which will replace a village lost in the flood. These homes will be more permanent and storm resistant, built from bricks fabricated by a newly purchased brick-making machine.

The UMC of Mozambique has established an Emergency Committee to determine the conference's priorities in relief work. Current priorities include: the home building project in Magoanini, replacing lost livestock, repair and control of soil erosion at Chicuque Hospital, disaster preparedness training, and increasing conference staff to implement relief efforts.

United Methodists and others have raised more than 1.6 million dollars to be used in UMCOR relief efforts. UMCOR staff and Rev. Quissico anticipate that the recovery work will continue for the next three years. As the immediate needs of food, shelter and medicine are met, The United Methodist Church in Mozambique will begin repairing and reconstructing churches that were damaged and destroyed in the floods.

See also

Photo Library: Mozambique Floods Recovery (More photos UMCOR's work)

Photos: 1. The UMC in Mozambique distributes rice, sugar, maize, flour and other food supplies to flood survivors in Maimelane Village. 2. Flood survivors received health kits in addition to food supplies. Credit: UMC Mozambique