KAIROS members are responding to powerful Cyclone Idai in southern Africa
The powerful winds and heavy rainfall of Cyclone Idai have recently hit southern Africa, killing hundreds and injuring and displacing thousands more in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Housing as well critical transportation, power and communication infrastructure have been damaged, disproportionately affecting more than 2.6 million vulnerable, disadvantaged people in this still unfolding tragedy. This episode is part of a pattern of increasing climate change-induced, irregular, intense weather events that have caused extensive flooding in many places that are already flooded, resulting in more infrastructure being washed away and shortages of life sustaining staples. As usual it is the most vulnerable and exposed communities and peoples who are most at risk of these climate change disasters.
Mozambique’s central port city of Beira was particularly hard hit with tsunami-like waters flooding a swath of land nearly 50 kilometers wide in central Mozambique.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the survivors and victims of what appears to be one of the worst weather-related disasters in the southern Hemisphere.
KAIROS members churches and agencies, several of whom belong to the ACT Alliance, are responding to Cyclone Idai with emergency humanitarian aid. Their responses to date are listed below. Please respond:
- The Primate’s World Relief and Development Funds (PWRDF associated with the Anglican Church of Canada) around which there is a mobile app available by texting PWRDF at 45678;
- The Christian Reformed Church in North America (Canada Corporation) through is associated agency, World Renew;
- The Mennonite Central Committee of Canada;
- The Presbyterian Church in Canada through its Presbyterian World Service and Development unit; and
- The United Church of Canada
