Mozambican authorities have launched, in the city of Beira, the ambitious project to rebuild 15,000 homes severely affected by Cyclone Idai in March 2019. This announcement marks a significant step in the recovery of the most devastated areas in the central region of the country, offering new hope to families who for more than four years have been living with the consequences of the disaster.
Luís Paulo Mandlate, executive director of the Post-Cyclone Reconstruction Office, shared details of the project, which forms part of the continuing efforts to rehabilitate the areas affected by the cyclones in Sofala. "This is a concerted effort to restore dignity and security to 15,000 vulnerable families who suffered immensely from the impacts of the cyclones", said Mandlate.
The project, funded by the World Bank, has a budget of 42 million dollars, earmarked specifically for rebuilding homes destroyed by Idai. The selection of beneficiary households has already begun in the districts of Dondo, Búzi, Nhamatanda and in the city of Beira itself. This initial phase included a rigorous assessment of needs, based on criteria such as climate vulnerability, poverty levels and the extent of the damage suffered.
The presentation of this project follows a meticulous survey carried out by the National Statistics Institute (INE), which involved 555 enumerators in fieldwork lasting two months. This effort made it possible to identify more than 15,000 families in urgent need of assistance in rehabilitating their homes.
In addition to the housing component, the Post-Cyclone Reconstruction Office has a further 58 million dollars for rebuilding public infrastructure. This sum will be used to restore and build 43 public buildings, four markets and a jetty, spread across the districts of Beira, Dondo, Búzi and Nhamatanda.
The process will also include selecting Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to assist with the reconstruction, as well as training local craftspeople who will help rebuild the homes. "We hope to complete the selection of families, NGOs and craftspeople in the coming months, and then begin the rehabilitation work", Mandlate explained, stressing the continuing efforts to raise additional funds, given the gap between reconstruction needs, estimated at 3,200 million dollars, and available funds, which stand at around 1,600 million dollars.
Mozambique, one of the countries most affected by climate change, regularly faces extreme challenges, such as floods and tropical cyclones. Cyclone Idai, one of the most devastating, together with Kenneth, resulted in the deaths of 648 people, part of the 714 fatalities of the 2018/2019 rainy season. More recently, Cyclone Freddy, in the first quarter of 2023, caused 306 deaths, affecting more than 1.3 million people and destroying 236 thousand homes and 3,200 classrooms, according to official Government data. This new reconstruction project comes as a beacon of hope for many Mozambican families who continue to struggle to rebuild their lives after natural disasters.
