On March 14th Cyclone Idai unleashed her fury on central Mozambique as well as neighbouring Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Malawi. It is one of the worst tropical cyclones on record in Africa and has left upwards of 800 people dead and hundreds more missing in Mozambique alone. 

In its wake, a major humanitarian crisis is unfolding. The International Committee of the Red Cross estimates that over 400,000 Mozambicans have been displaced from their homes.

On top of that, they face the loss of near-harvest crops, homes, electricity, livelihoods and loved ones. Diseases like cholera and typhoid are appearing due to a lack of clean water and people in big cities and remote villages alike are facing severe food shortages.

Mount Namuli and the people in the communities encircling the mountain are thankfully safe as Idai didn’t reach that far into the country. Legado’s field team is also safe.

Many people have reached out to me to ask how they can help. The International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), are all on the ground providing urgent care and relief to the people of central Mozambique. 

If you have any questions about these organizations’ work or about what is happening in Mozambique, please let our team know.