CARE Mozambique Provides Cyclone Freddy Survivors with Vital Hygiene Kits

Natalina Jose received a hygiene kit from CARE Govuro District, Mozambique/CARE Mozambique

Cyclone Freddy, the longest recorded cyclone in Mozambique's history, brought torrential rains that flooded large areas of Southern and Central Mozambique. Cyclone Freddy devastated the district of Govuro in the far north of the province of Inhambane. Natalina knew that the worst was yet to come for her and her motherless grandson.  

Natalina, along with the majority of Mozambican families living in rural areas such as Govuro, relies on agriculture for her main means of subsistence and income. With the rains increasingly irregular and scarce due to climate change, Natalina had been exploring the lowlands as a way of ensuring minimum harvests to get by. 

However, the floods caused by Cyclone Freddy ruined all prospects of a decent harvest for Natalina and many other small-scale producers across Inhambane. Heavy rains, which lasted several days, flooded their fields, destroying crops and other agricultural livelihoods.  

Govuro area flooded after Cyclone Freddy made landfall. Hygiene kits for the affected communities/CARE Mozambique

 

Moreover, the flooding inundated water open wells and other water sources. It began exposing families to water-borne diseases, triggering a cholera outbreak that killed dozens of people in several communities in the district of Govuro.

Laurina received soap and a water purifier. CARE Mozambique

In Nova Mambone, Laurina Deme and her three grandsons were impacted by the floods causing displacement and a cholera outbreak.

With her main source of income destroyed, Natalina engaged in an alternative activity to generate some income for her family. She started to collect a type of grass used to cover houses and sell it locally. However, due to the lack of food that plagues most families, many began to carry out wildfires, a common method used to hunt small animals, destroying Natalina's main source of raw material. 

With unsatisfactory harvests and no wild grass, Natalina faces severe difficulties in purchasing basic household items, such as hygiene products. “Unfortunately, I lost all agricultural crops to floods and the grass is increasingly scarce, due to the uncontrolled fires that people use to hunt rats. I don't even have money to buy food, much less to buy hygiene products...” – Natalina says in despair. 

However, thanks to the support of the Coca-Cola Foundation, Natalina and 1,300 other families received hygiene kits that allowed them to improve their hygiene conditions as well as improve access to drinking water for domestic consumption. With the buckets received, Natalina is able to collect water from the well, treat it (with CERTEZA), and store it in a safe environment. 

Additionally, Natalina highlights the importance of the hygiene kit for the education of her motherless grandson: “My grandson attends the local elementary school, and I couldn't afford the soap to keep his clothes and uniform clean. My grandson went to school with dirty clothes because I didn't have money to buy soap. With the soap I received, I can keep my grandson clean and comfortable for school.”