Cyclone Jude Ravages Mozambique Warehouse, World Vision Acts Swiftly to Rescue Lifeline for 34,000 Schoolchildren

In the early hours of Monday, March 10, Tropical Cyclone Jude unleashed its fury on Nampula province in northern Mozambique, battering a critical World Vision-Mozambique (WVM) warehouse in Namialo Administrative Post. The storm’s ferocious winds gusting over 120 km/h and torrential rains tore through the structure, ripping off part of the roof and collapsing the main access gate. As floodwaters surged and debris scattered, the warehouse storing vital food supplies for thousands of vulnerable children stood on the brink of disaster.

Inside lay a lifeline: tons of rice, lentils, and vegetable oil nutritious staples meant to fuel the minds and bodies of 34,000 schoolchildren across Monapo and Meconta districts. These commodities, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s McGovern-Dole-funded “Partnerships for Sustainable Education Outcomes” (PARES) program, were now perilously exposed to the cyclone’s wrath. Without immediate action, the meals sustaining these children’s education—and their futures—would be lost.

But World Vision Mozambique teams refused to let catastrophe win.

As howling winds subsided, emergency crews sprang into action. Racing against time and rising waters, they fortified the damaged warehouse, salvaged undamaged supplies, and relocated at-risk commodities to safer ground. Their rapid response, coupled with meticulous damage assessments, ensured the school feeding program could continue uninterrupted.

“Every minute counted,” said a World Vision Mozambique logistics coordinator on-site. “These meals aren’t just food they’re hope. Without them, children here risk hunger, missed school days, and a shattered sense of stability.”

The storm’s aftermath revealed the fragility of infrastructure in disaster-prone regions. Yet it also showcased the power of preparedness. Thanks to WVM’s swift mobilization, the roof was temporarily repaired, drainage systems cleared, and food stocks preserved. The cyclone had torn through walls and roofs, but it could not break the resolve of those determined to protect Mozambique’s most vulnerable.

Today, the PARES program endures. Classrooms in Monapo and Meconta remain filled with children nourished by meals that outlasted the storm a testament to resilience, urgency, and the unyielding belief that even in chaos, hope can hold its ground.