Cyclone Idai Recovery: Appeal to Help Families in Mutsvangwa Village, Chimanimani
A year ago – March 14-15, 2019 – Cyclone Idai hit east Zimbabwe and devastated the area including the small villages in Mutsvangwa surrounding Kopa Growth Point in Chimanimani District. More than 634 people died - with 82 swept down-river and buried as far as 40km into Mozambique - and many others are still missing. 50,905 people were displaced, and more than 270,000 were affected and required assistance.
25 years earlier, we were working in the area, carrying out Zimbabwe’s first population survey on HIV. The results found that HIV was spreading rapidly and death rates were rising – even in remote rural areas - and helped convince the government to establish a National AIDS Trust Fund and a national AIDS council. We are still in touch with families in the area and are keen to do something to help.
In the last year, the Zimbabwe Government, with help from international agencies and individuals from within and outside the country, launched a major emergency response and the local communities have begun to recover. However, the current recovery phase is grossly under-funded and, after visits and meetings with local people, we identified some small schemes that we believe would make a big difference to at least a few of the worst affected families.
Read full information about our appeal here.
Any kind donations to this cause will be greatly appreciated. Click here to donate*.
#RebuildChimanimani
#RebuildChimanimani
Hope for Kids, a small local church-based non-governmental organisation (registered trust) with strong connections to Mutsvangwa, has very kindly agreed to implement the proposed activities. The organisation has authorisation from Chimanimani District council to work in the district and from the Zimbabwe Ministry of Education to work with local schools. Find out more about their work here or find them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Supplementary Documentation
Supplementary Documentation