MOZAMBIQUE – One month after Cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique, Samaritan’s Purse is meeting the needs of villages isolated by unprecedented floodwaters. The storm washed away all access roads, contaminated water points, and destroyed homes—leaving hundreds of families susceptible to diseases like malaria and cholera. Samaritan’s Purse responded to this dire need, traveling 50 kilometers (31 miles) by boat each day along the Pungwe River to provide emergency relief supplies to three of the hardest-hit communities.
Team members distributed heavy-duty plastic tarp, water filtration units, mosquito nets and blankets to 1,600 families in the Chissange, Chissene, and Chibwabwa villages over the course of three days.
The same school where hundreds of families sought shelter from Cyclone Idai’s devastating winds served as the distribution point for this emergency relief—providing an emblem of new hope for many families.
“They understand that the tarps are going to be gone one day but the hope that we bring with us and the hope of Jesus is something that stays with them for a lifetime,” said Paul Carr, distribution coordinator for Samaritan’s Purse.
“The hope of Jesus stays with them for a lifetime.”
As Samaritan’s Purse boats stocked with critical relief supplies approached the village shoreline, team members were greeted with singing and dancing. Families repeated the lyrics “I don’t want to turn back, I want to move forward” in their native language of Cisena—thanking God for providing help in their time of need.
“When they see people coming from across the other side of the world, and they see us bringing that hope with us, it really just lifts them up and brings them the hope to be able to get through another night,” Paul said.
Samaritan’s Purse: International Crisis Response
Samaritan’s Purse stands ready to respond at a moment’s notice whenever and wherever disaster strikes. We specialize in meeting critical needs for victims of conflict, disaster, famine, and epidemics throughout the world, often working through ministry partners on the ground. We provide food, water, shelter, medicine, and other assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ.
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