The Tzu Chi Buddhist Charity Foundation—an international non-governmental social and humanitarian organization with special consultative status at the United Nations Council and representation in Mozambique—announced that it has launched its first humanitarian intervention in Gaza province, supporting 2,464 families affected by recent floods.
According to a statement quoted by Lusa, the initiative marks the institution’s debut in that southern province, highlighting that since the beginning of its activities in the country in 2012, its actions have been focused on the central province of Sofala, which has been repeatedly hit by cyclones.
“This is an important milestone for us since the beginning of our voluntary journey to support Mozambican communities,” said the president of the Tzu Chi Mozambique Foundation, Dino Foi, stressing that the distribution of donations will cover 2,062 families in the administrative post of Chilembene and 402 in the town of Hokwe, in the district of Chókwè.
He described how the strategy, as always, is focused on encouraging sustainability. “These families have lost everything and need to start over, and we want to ensure conditions for food production in this initial phase of recovery.”
Dino Foi stated that the assistance includes the distribution of beans, peanuts, corn, tomatoes, cabbage, and pumpkin seeds, agricultural tools, food products, water purifiers, hygiene items, and mosquito nets.
The province of Gaza was one of the hardest hit by the floods in recent weeks, with flooding causing destruction of infrastructure, loss of property, and displacement of families.
Updated data from INGD indicate that since the beginning of the rainy season in October, 856,000 people have been affected across the country, with 215 deaths and 314 injuries recorded. 137 accommodation centers have been opened, housing 112,900 people. Currently, 51 centers are still active, with at least 41,197 people.
The European Union, the United States, Portugal, Angola, Spain, Germany, East Timor, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, and China, as well as neighboring countries, have already sent emergency humanitarian aid.
Since January 7, 246 health facilities, 635 schools, and five bridges have also been damaged. In the agricultural sector, the floods affected 554,603 hectares of crops, of which 287,810 were reported as lost, affecting 365,137 farmers. It is also estimated that 530,998 head of livestock, including cattle, goats, and poultry, have died.
Mozambique is on red alert due to the current rainy season, a period that has been marked by warnings of heavy rain and strong winds, mainly in the central and southern parts of the country, with the authorities taking action to anticipate flooding in those regions.
The country is considered one of the most severely affected by climate change, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones. In the last rains, between 2024-25, Mozambique was hit by cyclones Chido, Dikeledi, and Jude, which killed at least 313 people, injured 1,255, and affected more than 1.8 million.
Extreme events caused at least 1,016 deaths nationwide between 2019 and 2023, affecting around 4.9 million people, according to data from the National Statistics Institute.
