May 3, 2022 | 4:05 p.m.
Since 2017, the humanitarian crisis in Mozambique — specifically in the province of Cabo Delgado — has gone from bad to worse. More than 700,000 civilians have fled their homes after five years of aggressive attacks from extremist groups.
Convoy of Hope is responding to the crisis in Mozambique. Items like rice, beans, cooking oil, laundry soap, and mosquito nets are being distributed. In total, Convoy has delivered more than 554,000 meals to people affected by this crisis.
“Displaced families don’t have many options as it remains unsafe for them to go back to their homes,” said Joel Charest, Convoy’s implementing partner in Mozambique. “Over the last few months, there are signs of some of the villages beginning to open up, but there is fear to return as the terrorism has not ended. Many are surviving solely on the food distributed by Convoy of Hope and other organizations.”
Many of those who have fled are now in the city of Pemba. In Pemba, Convoy has established partnerships through previous work in Mozambique. These partnerships have created the foundation for Convoy to work with local churches in distributing much-needed supplies.
“This gives the distribution a personal touch as the local church can provide necessary relief items,” said Joel. “Witnessing renewed hope in families is by far the biggest success. One recipient mentioned that ‘receiving the relief package from the local pastor was like seeing the physical hand of God coming to their aid.’”
Alongside the challenges brought about by this crisis in Mozambique, the region is experiencing high rates of poverty. In fact, in recent years, foreign investment poured into the province after they discovered natural gas in the region. Unfortunately, Convoy team members observed that very little benefit was seen by the local population.
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