The U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), granted three humanitarian assistance awards totaling $5,750,000 to the World Food Program (WFP), International Organization for Migration (IOM), and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide urgent assistance to the victims of Cyclone Freddy in Mozambique. The United States also obligated $450,000 to Care International to support the distribution of shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene kits. USAID also supports Save the Children and International Development Enterprises (iDE) to assist households to participate in the second planting season. Total U.S. emergency assistance for victims of Cyclone Freddy now exceeds $6 million.
“We are deeply concerned about the devastating impact of Cyclone Freddy on the people of Mozambique,” said U.S. Ambassador H. Peter Vrooman. “This assistance will provide critical support to address the urgent needs of Mozambicans.”
The funding will provide 30 days of emergency food assistance to 135,000 people and shelter kits to over 7,500 households, along with extensive water and sanitation support. The funds will also be used for rapid rehabilitation of health facilities, including damaged water infrastructure. Other activities include water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions to help contain the spread of cholera. In hardest-hit Zambézia province, emergency funds will provide mental health and protective support for people in emergency shelters.
Tropical Cyclone Freddy struck Mozambique in February and March 2023, causing widespread destruction and displacement of communities. A total of 169 people lost their lives as a direct result of Freddy and almost 700 were injured. Over a million Mozambicans have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy and over 130,000 houses have been totally destroyed. Over 50,000 people are still displaced from their homes. Freddy made landfall just as harvest season had arrived, which places more people at risk of hunger.
The U.S. government is the leading international donor of humanitarian assistance in Mozambique. U.S. Government humanitarian funding in 2022 alone totaled $176.7 million. U.S. humanitarian assistance supports the most vulnerable from the conflict-torn communities in northern Mozambique and those affected by increasingly extreme natural disasters throughout the country. Support for humanitarian needs is a critical component of the broader U.S. Government assistance in Mozambique. In close collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Mozambique, the U.S. Government provides more than $700 million in annual assistance to improve the quality of education and healthcare, promote economic prosperity, and support the overall development of the nation.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Mozambique.
