In March, the cyclone Idai pulled over Southeast Africa. More than 1000 people died. Even now millions of people are struggling to Survive, like Ninja Taprogge of the organization of CARE in the DW-Interview reports.
Deutsche Welle: are you currently in Mozambique, the country that was affected by cyclone Idai is the strongest. How do you deal with the Situation on the ground?
Ninja Taprogge: The Situation in Mozambique is still dramatic. I’m just back from the Region of Beira. There, the water still stands in many places. We were a few days ago in the province of Burmese, in a small village by the name of Guarda, Guarda. There the people had received no help at all. We have distributed as the CARE of 2,000 families with food. Every family has beans, 30 pounds of rice, five pounds and two liters of Oil.
What people tell you on the spot?
I spoke with a woman who has not eaten in weeks, with only the Corn that they are still on your box. The Region around the village was completely flooded. She has shown me the Corn. He smelled bad and was filthy. She has reported to me that one of their children has, in the meantime, abdominal pain, and one suffers from diarrhea disease. We have also visited the fields – they were all completely destroyed.
What are the living conditions of the people?
Many are living in temporary shelters. The government has just released today a new set of Numbers. The people live together in a confined space. More than 240,000 houses have been heavily damaged or destroyed.
It will take a very very long time, until they can be rebuilt. We CARE’s help, we Plan for and ropes to the families to distribute. So that you can build at least temporary accommodations. Also, the entire infrastructure affected by the cyclone Idai very strong. Many schools have been destroyed. As we help, we build tents, so that the lessons can be held for the children.
What diseases are preparing have the most problems?
Especially Malaria. In temporary accommodation or families sleep in the open air, mosquito nets instructed to protect themselves from the disease. The spread of the disease prepares us and other aid organisations are currently of great concern.
What do you think how long you have to be CARE there site still active? And as long as you can still make the funds available?
The biggest Problem remains that the fields are completely destroyed. It is estimated by experts to over 700,000 hectares of arable land that have been damaged by the floods. It is important now to provide acute help, because some people have not eaten in four weeks. We must now distribute food.
But we also need to be longer. The people must have enough seed available, so you can order your fields again. At the moment the crisis is fully funded. Only 23 percent of the required 250 million euros have been assured by the United Nations. This is far too little and is causing us concern as the aid organisations really.
What needs to happen now, quite concretely, within the next few months?
We need money to continue delivery of emergency assistance, but to build up, and to support the people in their houses ready. We need to give the people something, in order to cultivate their fields and as a source of income for their families.
Ninja Taprogge works as a media officer for the relief organization CARE Germany. She is currently in Mozambique, documenting the work of CARE.
The Interview was conducted by Friedel dove.