The intervention of the Focolare Movement’s Emergency Coordination in support of the Fazenda da Esperança in Mozambique following the damage suffered in the severe floods of March 2019 has concluded.
Initial interventions focused on assisting the population: the devastating scenario required direct actions to satisfy the primary needs of food, health and hygiene. “We are taking care of 1,300 people hosted in two schools. The needs are many. Mainly tents, food, blankets, simple boats to cross the river.
Around our mission many people died, especially children. Much more than what was reported.” (Ildo, volunteer in charge of the mission of the Fazenda di Dombe a few weeks after the typhoon).
Thanks to the support of donors, the Coordination has contributed to:
- distribute emergency food rations to people who had lost their homes;
- build 550 huts and 550 temporary latrines for displaced families
- relocate families to small plots of land granted by the government
- repair the 4 shelters, the nursery, the church, the hospital and the secondary school of the mission
- prepare a shed for the construction of concrete blocks, which will be used to build permanent homes for the families.
Immediately after the initial intervention phase, always in collaboration with Fazenda da Esperança, we created a support and accompaniment program for the creation of sources of income and livelihood for the population. The activities carried out included:
- direct aid to 150 families in difficulty by repairing the affected houses, purchasing seeds, fertilizer and fuel for tractors to restart and improve agricultural production.
- the construction of a carpentry shop to provide training and work to more than 60 young guests of the Fazenda da Esperança
- the construction of a mill serving approximately 330 families
