Mozambique: Immediate relief, long-term development - shielding communities against the next big threat

Mozambique is a country rich in natural resources. Yet, the sweeping effects of a 16-year civil war, that came to an end in the early 90s, have greatly stunted its shot at transformation. Poverty, crime and unemployment persist - compounded by one of the highest HIV rates in the world.

In a devastating blow for Mozambicans, March 2019 saw the coastal city of Beira hit by a tropical cyclone that left 1.7 million people in crisis. Destructive floods damaged bridges and roads, halting the delivery of food and other emergency provisions. Public water supplies were left untreated, leaving many rural communities disposed to water-borne diseases such as cholera.

For a young generation up against the odds, Cyclone Idai has had perilous consequences. An estimated 900,000 children have been separated from their families or orphaned, made homeless or otherwise affected. The trauma experienced by these children, as well as those who care for them, is both lasting and significant. HIV/AIDS has also resulted in a surge in child-headed households in recent years. Children from such homes are extremely vulnerable to risks including sexual exploitation and child labour. Many drop out of school as a result.

Population

Mozambique has a population of 29.5 million people

Poverty

An estimated 46.1% of people are living below the poverty line

Our Reach

In 2019 78,400 people took part in our programmes

What we do in Mozambique

Overview

We work to protect and support ‘at risk’ groups such as orphaned children by making their physical safety and psychosocial wellbeing a community project. Our work focuses heavily on the nexus between urgent humanitarian aid and long-term risk reduction, putting in place sustainable community-owned structures to tackle everything from the HIV/AIDS epidemic to the clean water crisis - all the while respective of the wider political context.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

In Mozambique it is absolutely critical that we continue to equip communities with the tools to feed their families and prepare themselves for climate-related shocks. We have adapted our Farmer Field School programme with respect to physical distancing rules (groups of no more than 10) and have also introduced an awareness-raising element - helping participants shield themselves against the virus.

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Social Protection

Run by local volunteers, our community safety nets provide elderly caregivers and grandparents with a safe space to manage stress, embrace positive parenting techniques and meet basic needs. Our life skills training is two-fold - we equip vulnerable youth from both poor and child-headed households with the skills to resist social coercion and reduce the risk of abuse; we also develop social and personal competencies that prepare them for the world of work.

Inspired to help? Adopt a Granny or Adopt a Child in Mozambique today.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

We supply local businesses with the tools to deliver clean drinking water - and make funds available in areas where there are no public facilities. Through awareness-raising and health messages we also promote good hygiene and sanitation practices and teach communities how to maintain water supplies - in close collaboration with municipal governments.

Food Security

We train smallholder farmers in climate-smart agriculture so that communities can harness the fruits of their environment and build back better following major stresses and shocks. Our Farmer Field School’s (FFSs) meet once a week to test common agricultural practices and adopt strategies that increase production and nutritional quality - good for business and families.

Women and Girls Empowerment

We deliver a core package of education and awareness-raising programmes that, in the absence of health facilities, counter the key drivers of HIV infection and sexual violence among women and girls. We also set up open community forums where people come together to listen to young women from vulnerable households and break down social norms such as early marriage.

Cyclone Idai Humanitarian Response - A New Era of Vigilance

More than a year after Cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique and became the precursor to a set of unparalleled climate-related disasters, 2.5 million people remain in need of emergency humanitarian assistance. With vital harvests washed away by floods, thousands of children have been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). As one of the poorest countries in the world, extreme poverty has diminished people’s ability to rebuild and recover. And even when they do, new shocks, reminiscent of Cyclone Kenneth which hit the northern province of Cabo Delgado just six weeks later, stop them in their tracks.

Meet our Country Director…

Florencio Marerua – Country Director Mozambique

“Mozambique has been devastated not only by climate disaster but by years of internal fighting. When I returned to my country at the end of the 80s, 13 years of civil war had taken a huge toll. Two decades later, the scars are still felt and can be seen today in the escalating violence and rise of armed groups in the northern province. Though we are not a political organisation, Dorcas cannot ignore these events in our activities - we must incorporate an element of peace-building too. Sustainable development and resilient solutions to displacement simply fall apart in the absence of peace. This is our duty - and our challenge - as an international humanitarian organisation.”