For Jacinta Francisco, Cyclone Idai Changed Everything

Jacinta is a 40-year-old mother of five and lives in the city of Beira in Mozambique. Like thousands of others, Cyclone Idai left Jacinta and her family without a home.

Jacinta remembers the night the storm hit. Taking shelter in her home, the winds blew strong enough to rip the roof of her house. As brick walls started to collapse around her, Jacinta knew that her family could no longer stay there. They took refuge in Jacinta’s mother’s house, praying that day would break and the storm would subside. Jacinta is thankful she and her family survived the storm, but life is difficult moving forward.

Jacinta and her family are have lived in a local primary school, which has served as a temporary shelter for some of the most vulnerable families. Jacinta says that people sleep on the floor next to each other, with little room to even move or turn around. With no money to rebuild her home, Jacinta is not sure where to go from here. All she can think about is ensuring that her children have food to eat each day.

For thousands of others in Beira living in crowded temporary shelters, the spread of diseases like cholera are of enormous concern. Without access to proper toilets and clean drinking water sources, families are concerned for their health. Over 2,000 people in Mozambique have already been diagnosed with cholera, and hundreds of new cases are being reported each day.

Thankfully, there are treatments for cholera and clear strategies to prevent the further spread of this deadly disease, but in order for these to be successful, action must taken quickly. World Renew is supporting local partners through the ACT Alliance who are working to prevent the continued spread of cholera.

In the coming weeks, thousands of people like Jacinta will receive urgently needed assistance to end this outbreak. Families will be given water purification sachets, and other hygiene essentials like soap, buckets, and jerry cans to carry drinking water.

To support World Renew’s emergency response efforts, and provide clean water to those affected by the cyclone in Mozambique and Malawi, please go to: www.worldrenew.net/cycloneidai. For Canadians, donations will be matched up to 4 to 1 through World Renew’s ongoing participation in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. World Renew also asks for prayers for Jacinta and the thousands of others who are trying to rebuild their homes and restore their lives in the aftermath of Idai.