At least 90,000 children impacted as Cyclone Chido hits hard in Mozambique

MAPUTO/NEW YORK, 17 December 2024 – Heavy winds and rainfall from Cyclone Chido have damaged or destroyed over 35,000 homes and affected more than 90,000 children across Cabo Delgado province, in northern Mozambique, after the storm made landfall on Sunday.

In addition to the large number of homes damaged, at least 186 classrooms were destroyed, and 20 health facilities were impacted.

“Mozambique is considered one of the most affected countries in the world by climate change and children were already experiencing several life-threatening emergencies before Cyclone Chido, including conflict, drought, and disease outbreaks,” said Mary Louise Eagleton, UNICEF Representative in Mozambique.

“UNICEF, along with the government, sister UN agencies, NGOs and local partners, are responding and prioritizing decisive actions for emergency humanitarian action despite the enormous challenges children face in Mozambique.”

Cyclone Chido hit close to the city of Pemba, in Cabo Delgado province, blowing off roofs, damaging civilian infrastructure, and leveling electricity and communication systems.

Cabo Delgado has endured at least seven years of brutal conflict, leading to more than 1.3 million people becoming internally displaced, 80 per cent of them women and children.

The cyclone also tore through Nampula and Niassa provinces, leaving over 25,000 families without electricity and damaging two water facilities. In a region already fighting a cholera outbreak, the latest devastation creates an ominous likelihood that the outbreak will further deteriorate.

Nearly 3.3 million people are projected to be in “crisis” or higher levels of food insecurity in Mozambique next year due to the impact of El Niño. Meanwhile, La Niña weather patterns may exacerbate conditions in 2025. At present, approximately 4.8 million people require humanitarian assistance in Mozambique, including 3.4 million children.

Over the past decade, climate shocks have intensified extreme weather in Eastern and Southern Africa. Community-leveling cyclones, like Chido, are becoming more commonplace. Cyclone Freddy, for example, ravaged Mozambique in 2023.

As the cost, scale, and complexity of climate changes continue to grow in the region, UNICEF continues to help children and vulnerable communities cope with the evolving patterns of the shocks. Support for UNICEF’s emergency response can be made through flexible funding and Mozambique’s humanitarian appeal. UNICEF Mozambique urgently needs US$10 million to respond to the multiple emergencies caused by Cyclone Chido’s devastation.