The United Nations is urging people to donate in fundraising efforts to raise the $282 million needed for victims of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique.
The tropical cyclone tore through several countries in Africa over a week ago, leaving hundreds of people dead and millions of dollars in damages. In Mozambique, where the ravages of Cyclone Idai was most felt, nearly 2 million were left without families, friends, and homes.
The UN has called on nations of the world to provide humanitarian assistance, which is badly needed by victims of the disaster. If help does not come soon, aid groups believe the situation in affected countries will become a lot worse.
Hundreds Of Thousands Of People Left Homeless
Beira City is one of the most devastated areas in Mozambique. Strong winds and flooding brought on by Cyclone Idai pretty much destroyed almost every structure in the city, including homes, schools, and medical facilities. More than 100,000 men, women, and children are currently in need of help in the area.
Aid workers from the UN and other humanitarian organizations have mobilized in Beira to lend a hand to ongoing relief efforts by local governments. These groups have been providing food and cash assistance and transporting much-needed supplies and medicines to ravaged areas. They have also helped out in coordinating other humanitarian work.
Mark Lowcock, UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, has set aside $20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help deliver critical and urgent emergency relief to Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.
However, additional funds are needed to reach all those affected by Cyclone Idai.
Earlier this week, the United Nations launched a revised flash appeal for $281.7 million to bring aid to victims in Mozambique. The organization has designated the cyclone's devastation a "scale-up emergency," which is considered to be the most severe.
"I call on the international community to fund these appeals quickly and fully so that aid agencies can urgently ramp up their responses," said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is expected to provide food assistance to an estimated 500,000 people victimized by the disaster.
Meanwhile, the Word Health Organization (WHO) is already making plans to mitigate the potential health risks associated with the recent flood. The group is anticipating a rise in cases of waterborne and airborne diseases such as malaria.
In Beira, five cases of cholera have already been recorded as of Wednesday, March 27. Officials fear that the disease could end up spreading, given the poor living conditions of tens of thousands of people left homeless by Cyclone Idai. The city is still struggling to gain access to clean water and sanitation.
How To Donate To Humanitarian Efforts
People who would like to donate to the Central Emergency Response Fund can visit the UN's webpage dedicated to Mozambique flash appeal. Every donation will help support the organization's relief efforts in areas devastated by Cyclone Idai.
The CERF is where much of the funding for necessary suppliers, such as food, shelter, clean water and sanitation, and health care, come from.
The WFP has also set up a page to help collect funds for its feeding programs for victims of the disaster.
Other charity organizations have launched their own fundraising efforts as part of their humanitarian work for the people in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.
The Catholic Relief Services is working to provide an initial 4,000 families in these countries with immediate aid.
There is also Doctors Without Borders, whose members are giving medical support and water sanitation to affected areas.
