After allocating 252.8 million meticals (four million dollars) to help the victims of Cyclone Chido in Mozambique, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is asking for more funds to mitigate the impacts of the disaster.
According to UN News, on Thursday (19), five days after the passage of tropical cyclone Chido, the authorities said that more than 182,000 people had been affected. Nampula province, in the north of the country, is facing a cholera outbreak with 294 confirmed cases and 21 deaths recorded.
The provinces most affected by the cyclone include Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa, while Tete and Manica are facing lesser impacts. OCHA said that response operations have already begun, but the supply of humanitarian aid items remains insufficient.
Although four million dollars have been allocated for emergency shelters and reinforcement of protection services, Laura Bonde, interim UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Mozambique, emphasised the need for more financial resources.
‘We urgently need additional funding to sustain the humanitarian response, at a time when Mozambique is also facing drought in the south and the complex crisis in Cabo Delgado. We call on the international community to support the response to Cyclone Chido, helping those most in need and preventing setbacks due to lack of funds,’ she said.
Emergency actions
Organisations such as the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) have implemented a joint rapid response mechanism. Emergency kits containing food, shelter materials, non-food items and resources for water, sanitation and hygiene are being distributed.
Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak in Nampula is increasing the challenges for the government, partners and the UN in responding to the cyclone. Low funding to deal with natural disasters remains a concern in the country.
In 2024, only 5.8 million dollars were mobilised through the Humanitarian Needs Response Plan to prepare for and deal with climate crises, reinforcing the need for greater financial support.
