Recovery Efforts for Cyclone Idai in Mozambique

Cyclone Idai with the maximum wind speed of 175 km/h [110 mph] made landfall in Beira, eastern Mozambique in March 2019. Idai swept across westward all over Mozambique with strong winds and heavy rain. As a result, Mozambique was badly damaged, and it led to about 1,000 deaths and 150,000 victims. Due to a budget deficit, there was no immediate recovery work, and this added an extra layer of suffering for the victims who lost their homes.

The Intl. WeLoveU Foundation decided to help the victims with improving their environmental conditions. The members of the WeLoveU branch in Maputo set out to explore Dondo and Beira in Sofala Province, which is about 1,200 km [745 miles] away from the capital city to figure out the scale of damage on May 5. The damaged roads, houses, and buildings were reminiscent of a battlefield. Particularly, the small number of schools in these areas, too, broke down, bringing much disappointment to the residents and students. The WeLoveU made a plan to recover heavily damaged school and houses.

The WeLoveU members met with Conceita Sortane the Minister of Education and discussed disaster recovery on June 7. Afterward, they designated a school with the help from the Ministry of Education in Sofala, and began with facility recovery in earnest at Eduardo Mondlane Primary School in Beira on August 7.

All the five buildings of Eduardo Mondlane Primary School, attended by 3,100 students from grade 1 to 7, completely collapsed in one day due to the cyclone. The roofs had been blown away, the windows and doors shattered, and the classrooms filled with shards of glass. The students had to take classes in classrooms temporarily covered with tents or outside in the field.

First of all, the WeLoveU members covered the roofs with tents to block out winds and rain for the students to take classes, regardless of the weather conditions. Next, they installed new windows and doors, and replaced lights and broken electric equipment. They repainted the walls stained with rain and dust to be clean. The repairing work lasted until April of the following year. The students welcomed the members, shouting, “We love you,” whenever they visited the school for the repair.

Meanwhile, the house repair work in Beira and Dondo began on September 1, 2019. The members first repaired the roofs that were blown away by the strong wind, and rebuilt the walls that were demolished with concrete blocks and cement. They also donated windows, mosquito nets, light bulbs, desks, and chairs for the students to study at ease. In this way, they helped 50 residents get their life back on track by repairing six houses in Beira and eight in Dondo. The residents expressed gratitude to the members and shared with them wholeheartedly-made food. Seeing their houses repaired, they became teary eyed.

On May 30, 2020, about 30 WeLoveU members who shed beads of sweat completed the cyclone recovery effort project. On June 1, the Ministry of Education in Sofala presented an honorary certificate to the WeLoveU and expressed appreciation for helping with rebuilding the schools. Manuel Chicamisse the School Superintendent expressed gratitude to the WeLoveU, saying, “I could feel the members’ sincerity. They’re setting an extremely example for others.”

The members went a long distance to give a helping hand, which deeply moved the citizens and the students. The WeLoveU will continue to create a bright future by helping their neighbors in despair and hopelessness with the love of a mother who overcomes all kinds of difficulties for her children.