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River flooding displaces Mozambicans Wire reports, Jan 31, 2008
PHOTO BY THE REV. JACOB JENHURO
Wire reports
Missouri United Methodist churches have been watching the news about flooding in Central Mozambique that affects their partners 10,000 miles away. Members have contacted The Mozambique Initiative to learn what they can do to help.
Humanitarian agencies are also trying to provide aid to those who are displaced in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi by the widespread flooding that began on Christmas Day 2007.
With Mozambique being one of the hardest-hit areas, Missouri churches in partnerships with churches in that southeastern Africa nation have learned that the churches most affected are Chemba, Buzi, Save and Nova Mambone.
The Rev. Jacob Jenhuro, director of the North Conference Council on Ministries, traveled as close as he could to Chemba and Buzi to try to contact pastors.
“The need for support is urgent for the people affected, this includes our members in these zones/areas also,” Mr. Jenhuro says. He expects about $10,000 is needed for the immediate first response relief aid.
The Zambezi River (at Caia and Chemba) and the Pungue River (on the way to Buzi) have inundated homes even miles from their shores. The Buzi River is also over its shores due to rain in and west of Mozambique.
The flooding has mostly affected the tributaries of the Zambezi River, a basin that has nine countries attached to it.
“We’ve got about 135,000 people who have been affected in some ways,” said Chance Briggs, World Vision’s program director in Mozambique told Voice of America. “They either lost their homes or lost their crops or other parts of their livelihoods. And almost 60,000 people have now been displaced, with fortunately only seven people dead.”
Four of the reported deaths were from drowning and three were from crocodile attacks, he said.
The damage includes the flooding of crop fields and water wells. The floods have also damaged or destroyed local roads and have cut some areas off from the outside. Community schools have also been damaged and the health situation is likely to deteriorate in the coming days as a result of the floods.
Short-term response needs are expected to include clothing and blankets, food supplies, temporary shelter materials, insecticide-treated mosquito nets and water-treatment supplies.
According to AIM, the official news service of Mozambique, the forecast is for continued rain in the region.
The Save River has forced the people of Mambone (Nova Mambone UMC) to be evacuated as well as the people from the churches of Chemba. The Chemba local churches of Caia and Goba have also been evacuated by the government, and there is a shortage of food and safe water.
The All Africa Web site (http://allafrica.com/mozambique/newswire/) has current information on the flooding situation. According to AIM, one consequence of the flooding is that voter registration (Jan. 15-March 15) is being hindered because of the difficulty in registering displaced persons.
The Mozambique Initiative is requesting prayer on behalf of the people of central Mozambique and the United Methodist Church who are coping with the realities of living in a country through which the great rivers of sub-Saharan Africa flow.
The Missouri Annual Conference has had a covenant relationship with the United Methodist Church in Mozambique since about 1986. Church-to-church relationships began in 1998 and continue today.
To help financially, send contributions marked “Mozambique—2008 Disaster Fund” to Missouri Conference, Treasurer’s Office, 3601 Amron Court, Columbia, MO 65202.
Carol Kreamer, coordinator for The Mozambique Initiative of the Missouri Annual Conference, contributed to this report.
PHOTO BY THE REV. JACOB JENHURO
The flooding has mostly affected the tributaries of the Zambezi River, a basin that has nine countries attached to it. 
