Mozambique: Hunger Persists, and Children Under Five Bear the Brunt
Children under the age of five are among the most severely affected by hunger, a direct consequence of the El Niño phenomenon that has ravaged much of Mozambique’s 11 provinces. The lack of food is worsening an already fragile context, where efforts to reduce malnutrition among children remain a significant challenge.
In Tete province, one of the hardest-hit regions, the situation has become dire. World Vision Mozambique has observed heartbreaking consequences, including school dropouts as children join their parents in the desperate search for ways to cope with the crisis.
“We registered a number of internally displaced people and noticed a lot of children dropping out of school,” said Melode Aleixo calling for support in order to assist children and their families in Mutarara district.
World Vision Mozambique has a Livelihood program under implementation, which seeks, among others, to support communities with income-generating activities, and the Livelihood Coordinator, Paulino Siquisse, reaffirmed that the situation continues to be critical, and the number of families so far in need of support is at 10,000.
Thanks to the support of different donors, including World Vision Korea, response to the impact of the phenomenon started, and more than 4,200 families were assisted with seeds and encouraged to capitalize on the rainy season and grow food.
“The seeds were first distributed when rains started to fall in the district, allowing families to launch the seeds, now the lands are fertile,” said Paulino Siquisse World Vision Mozambique Livelihood Coordinator.
According to Sequisse “World Vision, through the support so far secured, will open a field for the multiplication of orange-fleshed sweet potato plants, train the communities in sustainable agricultural and business practices, and establish (savings groups.)”
Saving Groups are local groups composed of 20 to 25 members who come together to save money in a year-cycle and borrow among themselves while generating income through a simple interest on top of the money borrowed.
These groups help members borrow money to open small businesses and cope with the impact of hunger while they grow their food.
World Vision is responding to the impacts of the El Nino Phenomenon in the provinces of Tete and Gaza where it aims to assist 90 000 people affected, and it’s still far from the 5 million required to provide assistance through the sectors of Food Security, Livelihood, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Protection, Education, Health, and Nutrition.