Project Description
Older women and men, particularly those living alone and those with disabilities, tend to be neglected or left behind in emergencies, and it is vital that their needs and rights are understood and adequately addressed. HelpAge and its partners are deploying multidisciplinary outreach teams including health and social workers to support those most at risk. We need to provide immediate life-saving support to those most at risk, but we also need to work with other agencies and donors to ensure that older people are not ignored, that their voices are heard, and their needs and rights are recognised both in the immediate response, and the longer-term support to rebuild lives and communities.
How the project pretends to respond to older people’s needs We are going to respond to the recent floods in Boane district, Maputo Province, by:
Project History
Mozambique has experienced many major shocks and stresses in recent years culminating in the current food, fuel and finance crisis. The country’s economy has stagnated over the past five years due to a combination of factors, including poor financial performance, extreme cyclical climatic events, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. The situation has been exacerbated by recurrent climate related events, such as drought and tropical cyclone Eloise that destroyed agricultural lands and infrastructure, as well as widespread flooding.3 The ongoing insurgency in the country’s northern Cabo Delgado province has also taken its toll on the economy It is expected that many of these impacts will be felt well into 2025. Already, poverty among older people is very high - according to the most recent World Bank data, Mozambique’s poverty headcount ratio is at 46.1 per cent. Given the current context, the prices of major food commodities, such as wheat, edible oil and maize are likely to remain high and volatile into the coming year. And looking ahead, severe drought, flooding, and cyclones are likely to continue Cyclone Idai has swept through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, killing hundreds of people and leaving a trail of destruction affecting an estimated 2.6 million people. More than 400,000 have lost their homes, and as heavy rainfall continues, the UN predicts one of the worst weather-related disasters on record. Heavy rains which hit southern and central Mozambique recently have affected over 150,000 people, flooding farmland and pastures, damaging houses, roads, drainage systems and electricity supplies. Five major rivers in the region, including the Zambeze and Limpopo remain above their alert levels and heavy rain continues to fall. Many older people in rural farming communities have been isolated from services or external support and have lost their crops and animals. These communities are now being provided with some food rations, such as rice and beans.
Tropical Cyclone Jude Executive Summary Tropical Cyclone Jude made landfall in Mozambique’s Nampula Province on 10 March 2025, bringing sustained winds of 120 km/h and gusts up to 195 km/h. The storm downgraded to a severe tropical storm by 11 March but continued to dump 100–200 mm of rainfall across nine provinces, including Cabo Delgado, Niassa, and Tropical Cyclone Jude brought significant destruction in Nampula, Cabo Delgado, Zambezia, Niassa, and Tete with multiple key road networks are inaccessible due to flooding, fallen debris, and structural damage. Widespread outages were reported, as power grids and telecom networks were affected. Readiness and early response efforts were swiftly mobilized through the activation of the Mozambique Anticipatory Action (AA) Framework for Cyclones. With funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), humanitarian partners received rapid disbursements, enabling anticipatory and early action activities three days before the cyclone made landfall. The cyclone significantly heightened the risk of worsening the ongoing cholera outbreak. On March 8, the Ministry of Health declared a cholera outbreak in Larde, making it the fourth district affected in Nampula. By March 17, another outbreak was declared in Angoche, a district already impacted by Cyclones Dikeledi and Jude. The widespread destruction to WASH facilities and contamination of water sources has further exacerbated the crisis. INGD reports that as of 19 March, the total number of people affected stood at 390,000 people with 16 deaths. More than 88,000 houses were completely and partially destroyed. In terms of public infrastructure, 81 health units and 272 schools, 20 bridges and 43 water systems were affected. 73 kms of electricity wires have been damaged. On 15 March, WFP Advanced Disaster Analysis and Monitoring (ADAM) Flood Impact Analysis with Satellite reported estimated 1,084,011 hectares were flooded or inundated area; an estimated 436,040 people were living in the flooded area, including 164,693 vulnerable people. An estimated 49,593 hectares were total flooded cropland areas, Monapo district in Nampula is the most severe flooded district. The affected provinces include Cabo Delgado, Inhambane, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete and Zambezia. The Multi Sectoral Needs Assessments (MIRA) were finalized on 18 March, across seven districts (Nacala, Nacala Velha, Meconta, Memba, Mossuril, Ilha de Mocambique, Monapo).
Project Mission
To ensure that the older persons affected by natural disasters are included in Humanitarian Action and work with activists so they can access necessary services, like water, shelter, clothes and food, and are adequately protected.
With your Microdonation we are planning to accomplish by providing older people with seeds and tools to help them recover from losing their crops and farmlands, as well as supporting the rebuilding and reparations of boreholes, latrines and houses.
The Aftermath of Cyclone Jude:
A Family's Journey from Mossuril to Nampula Mario, a resident of Mossuril in Nampula province, vividly remembers the night Cyclone Jude struck in March 2025. His home, where his daughter took her first steps, was gone, reduced to splintered wood and debris. The terrifying experience of shaking walls, heavy rain, and the eventual destruction of their home left him and his family in a state of shock and loss. With their home lost and the surrounding area flooded, Mario and his family, along with many others, had to seek refuge in Nampula City. The journey was fraught with danger, as roads were impassable due to heavy rainfall and flooding. Upon reaching a point 20 kilometers from Nampula City, Mario discovered the main road was cut off. He was forced to disembark from the bus and continue on foot, navigating around the flooded road and crossing a watercourse. "Every step was a struggle," he recounted, highlighting the difficulties faced by those fleeing the cyclone. Once in Nampula, Mario and his family found temporary shelter at a community center, alongside many others who had been displaced. They faced the challenges of rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of the cyclone, with limited resources and facing a uncertain future. This story, though based on real events like Cyclone Jude, can be adapted and customized to reflect the specific experiences and perspectives relevant to your project. It can serve as a powerful reminder of the human impact of cyclones and the resilience of communities in the face of adversity.
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