Maputo — The international NGO "Save the Children' has announced that about 650,000 children and their families are in danger as a result of tropical cyclone Chido, which hit the northern Mozambican provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula on Saturday, causing the death of at least 15 people.
The cyclone also affected parts of the northern province of Niassa and the central province of Zambézia.
According to a statement from "Save The Children', the greatest damage occurred in the Cabo Delgado provincial capital, Pemba, and the districts of Metuge, Mecúfi and Chiúre, as well as the Nampula districts of Memba and Erati.
"These regions are inhabited by vulnerable communities that are already facing high levels of deprivation. They risk losing their homes, being separated from their families and seeing their access to water, sanitation, healthcare and education extremely limited', said Ilaria Manunza, the Director of Save the Children in Mozambique, cited in the note.
Manunza explained that it may be difficult to provide humanitarian aid in these regions of Cabo Delgado as a result of armed groups [Islamist terrorists that have been attacking some parts of Cabo Delgado].
This tragedy, she said, is yet another example of extreme weather conditions devastating an already vulnerable community, torn apart by conflict and plunged into poverty.
In order to minimize the damage, the organization is preparing teams and resources to support the most affected families, as part of an urgent and multidimensional response.
"The organization's teams, which are already present in most of the worst-hit areas, will also prioritize the establishment of systems and services to protect children and support the renovation of damaged schools', reads the note.
Save the Children recalled that children in northern Mozambique are already facing several significant vulnerabilities, while ongoing conflicts have resulted in large-scale displacement and weakened infrastructure, hindering access to basic services such as water, education, sanitation and health.
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Malnutrition is also a critical concern, with many children suffering from food insecurity.
The organization also recalls that in the last five years, Mozambique was hit by three other intense cyclones, namely Idai (in March 2019), Kenneth (in April 2019) and Freddy (in February 2021), which resulted in over 1,100 deaths.
