In Pemba – The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Cabinet for Reconstruction Post-Cyclones (GREPOC) initiate activities to accelerate the economic recovery of families affected by Cyclone Kenneth in Cabo Delgado. The interventions evolve in the scope of the Mozambique Recovery Facility (MRF) and will count on the partnership of five NGOs already constituted in the Province and district governments, with financial resources provided by the Program donors – Canada, China, European Union, India, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway – estimated at 81 million meticais (approximately US$ 1.2 million).

Actions are being planned with the district authorities for implementation by the end of 2020. They will benefit 15,640 households with sustainable income generation activities that aim to resiliently recover livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations in Metuge, Ibo and Pemba, many of which were displaced internally after hit by Cyclone Kenneth and the recent armed attacks in the Northern Districts (Macomia, Quissanga and Ibo).

“To accelerate the effective economic recovery of families this year, it is key to observe the time factor combined with good practices and joint implementation. The impact and results must also be sought so that the people who benefit from it will increase their engagement, even in difficult times”, comments Ms. Iva Langa, GREPOC coordinator to the Northern Region for Cyclone Kenneth. “The selection of the eligible households will be an important aspect to guarantee the success of the interventions”, she concludes.

"This first phase of actions will have enormous collaboration and experience from partners in the field to ensure activities are sustainable, once they happen within the scope of the Mozambique Recovery Facility, five-year program established by UNDP and the Government", reports Mr. Zefanias Chitsungo, GREPOC senior coordinator. "It is important to stress that the beneficiaries we are talking about are those most vulnerable and internally displaced from regions like Quissanga and Macomia", he explains. In addition, he appealed to the district authorities for the process and implementation of the projects to be carried out with the engagement of the beneficiaries and pointed out the need of adjusting the plans presented by the NGOs to the real needs of the communities.

“The project and approaches are being successfully implemented in Sofala since September 2019. They have a positive impact on the lives of the most vulnerable communities such as in the Mutua resettlement neighborhood. Learning from Sofala, we emphasize on the strong collaboration and communication among the local authorities, community and implementing partners. We are confident that the objective of ‘Resilient Recovery’ of the most vulnerable families will be achieved through a collective efforts and collaboration among all involved stakeholders including the target communities”, states Mr. Ghulam Sherani, coordinator of the UNDP Recovery Facility program. "The planned actions are people-centered and people-led, which means that the activities will be implemented as per the priority and needs of the affected people and communities. They are the ones who know what they have lost and what they intend to adopt as their livelihoods and means of income", he reinforces.

The planned intervention starts with creation of temporary employments that will facilitate community engagement and the identification and rehabilitation of prioritized community productive facilities. The rehabilitation will be carried out by the beneficiaries through labor intensive work. These community assets include, but are not limited to, the opening of water wells and retention dams, the cleaning of irrigation canals, the construction of protection dikes and other examples. Actions are then followed by provision of short skills trainings, establishment of small business, provision of start-up kits based on the households’ preferred areas of activity and which may include assets for agricultural production and livestock, fishing and sale and purchase, production and services sector  and others. At the same time, savings and loan groups will be included to improve households' ability to invest their earnings in other activities that generate complementary and diversified income.

“We welcome the initiative as it reflects the efforts of the government and partners to assist Cabo Delgado. We trust in UNDP and GREPOC and we are available and willing to do whatever is necessary in our power to intervene as a government. Let us not forget displaced families, as they are the ones most vulnerable”, declared the Secretary of State for Cabo Delgado, H.E. Mr. Armindo Ngunga, during a courtesy meeting about the Program held on 04 August.

District-level governments and experts will have the role of following-up Program actions and monitoring results in coordination with UNDP and GREPOC in order for communities to feel truly supported and to avoid merely punctual actions.

“The Provincial Executive Council agrees with the plan presented here, as it will quickly and efficiently leverage development and reduce the suffering of the populations of the Districts affected by the Cyclone. But for that, it is necessary to create a joint platform for coordination at all levels”, declared the Governor of Cabo Delgado Province, H.E. Mr. Valige Tauabo.

In Sofala, province most affected by Cyclone Idai, another 37,503 households are being supported with interventions to restore livelihoods and economic empowerment. As a result, a total of 53,143 families will be supported in Cabo Delgado and Sofala in 2020, with an estimated budget of MZN 290 million (US$ 4.3 million).

About the Mozambique Recovery Facility

The Mozambique Recovery Facility is the result of the Government of Mozambique and its international partners’ long and challenging post- cyclone emergency response and recovery efforts.

UNDP’s vision of the cyclone recovery program in Mozambique is centered around development, governance and resilience building. To realize this vision, UNDP established the Mozambique Recovery Facility (MRF) – a five-year program estimated at US$ 72.2 million with activities supported by the European Union, Canada, China, India, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway. The MRF deploys both short and long-term recovery activities, while it also aims to address underlying vulnerabilities and to build resilience to future disasters. It has three important pillars: (1) help the communities rebuild their livelihoods, especially women and persons with disabilities; (2) rebuild housing and community infrastructure; and (3) develop national capacities and systems to plan and implement the recovery and resilience program.

The Recovery Facility runs interventions in the cyclone affected provinces of Sofala and Cabo Delgado and plans to extend its activities to Inhambane, Manica, Nampula, Tete and Zambézia.

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For more information:

UNDP

Brenda Hada, communications officer; brenda.hada@undp.org; +258 87 9970755.

GREPOC

Delcio Mucombo, especialista em tecnologias de informação; mucombo@grepoc.org.mz; +258 84 2275588;