wfn.org | United Methodists address flood problems in Mozambique

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

March 9, 2001	News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York
10-21-31-71B{120}

By United Methodist News Service

United Methodists are continuing efforts to help victims of last year's
catastrophic flooding in Mozambique, even as new floods in February and
early March have created more problems.

The Rev. Morais Quissico, disaster coordinator for the United Methodist
Church in Mozambique, reported in a March 7 e-mail that he had been working
in the provinces of Zambezia and Sofala, areas of recent flooding, for the
past week.

"Our help at this 'emergency' period is constituted by supplies of basic
food, donated specifically to those displaced and disparate thousands of
families with their many children, following the priorities identified and
recommended by the National Institute on Disaster Management," he wrote.

Quissico said he intended to journey soon to the provinces of Tete and
Manica. More than 81,000 people are estimated to be displaced and about
400,000 affected by flooding in the four provinces as a whole.

Six U.N. agencies launched a joint appeal to the international community on
March 7, asking for $10.7 million to respond to the flooding. The government
of Mozambique had requested $36.5 million in foreign assistance in late
February.

"The flood situation in the central region is continuously of great
concern," Quissico wrote. As the rivers keep rising, more farms, livestock,
houses and other items are lost, he added. "Despite a positive intervention
of the international community to the central region's dilemma, the need for
more resources still remains, given the growing number of families
affected."

Recovery efforts from the 2000 floods are proceeding in the southern African
country, despite complaints that promises of assistance have not been kept
by some other countries and non-governmental organizations, said the Rev.
Kristin Sachen, executive secretary for international emergency response,
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). "For a very poor country, I
think it's on schedule," she added.

So far, UMCOR has invested more than $700,000 in flood relief efforts in
Mozambique, and it is preparing to send another $100,000 to deal with the
current flooding. That leaves about $1 million remaining for long-term
recovery, and Sachen noted that additional donations to UMCOR for Mozambique
relief work are welcome.

"The longer we receive, the longer we can be a supportive presence for
development," she said.

The donations also have had a direct positive effect on Mozambique's economy
since the money is spent locally through the church. "What has been very
helpful to them has been to have money to hire laborers and to have
food-for-work programs," Sachen said.

The church broke ground this winter for a project involving the building of
120 houses in a new settlement outside Maputo for people unable to return to
homes destroyed by the floods. UMCOR and the United Methodist Church in
Germany funded the project. Government approval is being sought to add a
clinic, church and school.

Other relief activities in response to the 2000 floods have included the
purchase of three brick-making machines; the distribution of food, clothing,
domestic articles, seeds, agricultural tools, medical supplies and
equipment; the establishment of six water-treatment systems; and the
reconstruction of houses.

Since the beginning of the flooding disaster in 2000, United Methodists in
Mozambique have cooperated with the Mozambique Red Cross, which has better
access to victims in remote areas. Now, according to Quissico, that
cooperation also is extending to the Christian Council of Mozambique and the
World Lutheran Federation. 

Donations for the relief work can be made to the Churchwide Appeal for Flood
Recovery in Mozambique and Neighboring Countries, UMCOR Advance No.
156500-0. Contributions can be placed in local church collection plates or
mailed directly to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115.
Credit-card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583.

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United Methodist News Service
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