During last year’s El Niño drought, fields dried up, hunger spread, and children walked long distances in search of food and water. But in Namwala’s Chitongo community, the Chitongo Dam constructed by World Vision Zambia became a lifeline and gave hope.

See the heart-wrenching dilemma haunting hundreds of resilient farming families in Guijá district, Gaza province, Mozambique. After a brutal cycle of El Niño-induced droughts, swiftly followed by devastating floods, once-fertile fields have transformed into landscapes of agonising uncertainty.

In 2024, we reached 17.9 million people, including 9.5 million children, and responded to over 16 emergencies across the region. From food security and health to protection and education, our work has brought tangible relief and hope to families affected by crisis.

Our mission is Labarik saudavel no foin-sa’e empoderadu ba komunidade forte - Healthy children and empowered youth for strong communities.

Mozambique is responding to the Multi-Country El Nino Response by distributing seeds in central Tete province where it expects communities to capitalise the rainy season to grow food.

About 330 kilometres south of Zambia’s capital city Lusaka is a small remote village called Hanombe. The village is made up of several scattered mud brick huts with thatched roofs. It is home to over 195 people including 16-year-old Rita.

But that story is beginning to change—thanks to the El Niño Life Saving Cash Project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by World Vision Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe.

Los niños, las niñas y el Reino de Dios: Guía para escuchar

For years, many households in Namwala District struggled with financial insecurity, lacking opportunities to break the cycle of poverty worsened by the recent El Nino drought. With limited economic activities and skills, families faced hardships providing for their children’s education and daily needs. However, hope emerged through World Vision Zambia under the Transforming Household Resilience in Vulnerable Environments’ (THRIVE) Tailoring Enterprise Development Initiative, an effort designed to equip community members with essential skills for financial independence.