Cyclone Idai: one year on

It’s one year since Cyclone Idai tore through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Hundreds of people were killed and nearly half a million were left homeless after strong winds and flooding.

In Mozambique alone, 600 people were killed and an estimated 1.85 million people were affected by the cyclone and are still facing food shortages.

In the days and weeks after the cyclone hit, Tearfund’s local partners distributed food, cooking utensils and shelter, along with seeds to replant crops destroyed by the winds.

During the cyclone, Pastor Mateus’s daughter became stranded by rising flood waters as she travelled to school in Chibabava District, Mozambique. She had to climb a tree and wait for it to pass. 

The pastor lost his cows and his crops were destroyed, but despite her frightening ordeal ‘God was taking care of my daughter,’ he told us.

Strength to continue
Pastor Mateus’s community received help from Tearfund partner CEDES who distributed beans, rice, cooking oil, soap, buckets, chlorine for purifying water and other essential items.

‘I'm going to take these to my house to feed my family,’ says Pastor Mateus. ‘But with the strength that I'll get after eating this food, I'll go to work on my land. My prayer is for God to bless this land and bring rain.’

One year after the cyclone, much of southern Africa is facing severe droughts, making it harder for people to rebuild their lives.

We’re still working to meet people’s basic needs and help communities to be better prepared for future disasters.

Please pray for our work in southern Africa.

PLEASE PRAY

Gracious Father,

We lift up the people of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe who are still trying to rebuild their lives, a year after Cyclone Idai. Please continue to heal the sick, comfort the brokenhearted, and provide for those who are now facing devastating droughts across southern Africa. 

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.