ALG Friends in Maputo needed!

In Maputo, a group of ALG Friends did not want to keep their arms crossed and started a joint initiative to gather food supplies and medicines to be sent to the affected flood areas. This local campaign is under the leadership of Sonia, one of the ALG friends based in town, who is putting all her efforts to help the communities in Chokwe, Xai-Xai and Chongoene.

The more urgent needs at the moment are food supplies (especially non-perishable or canned ones), water, zinc plaques (to provide make-shift shelter) and medicines, for malaria and diarrhea.  This initiative has the full support of the American School in Maputo, where the collection of donated goods will take place.

We will use part of our emergency funds to hire transportation of these goods from deposit to the affected areas, alongside the existing but insufficient means of transport of our Local Partners.

If you have friends in Maputo who may want to help, please contact us and help spread the word!!

Note: http://www.aism-moz.com/

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

Flood Risk – Weather Conditions Tuesday pm

Weather forecasts do not allow us to expect the worst is behind us. There are still forecasts for heavy rains in South Africa and in the south of Mozambique. 

This situation is preventing the families from returning to their homes to assess the damage caused by the floods. The refugee camps in places like the CRPE Orphan Centre supported by ALG will continue to serve as shelter in case the water levels rise again.

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

Flood Crisis: Update on Xai-Xai and Chogoene

EFI school children at meal time

In our intervention areas of Xai-Xai and Chongoene, the situation is more stable as many families were able to escape before the floods. 

The biggest problem at the moment is hunger. This season’s crops were devastated and both the homeless families and the refugees are now approaching starvation. ALG are sending immediate relief funds to this area through our Local Partner Sister Aparecida.

Our pre-school Escolinha Flor da infancia (EFI) was protected by the torrential floods but many families have taken refuge in the surrounding village of Marien Ngouabi. We expect requests for enrollment in this pre school for underprivileged local children to increase sharply over the next weeks. Teacher Etelvina, our Local Partner in the school, has already requested us to increase our support for the year by enlarging the number students in each classroom.

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

Chokwe Floods – Urgent healthcare needs

With dirt widespread everywhere, 

infectious diseases are expected to be on the rise

The biggest concern in Chokwe at the moment is the widespread of diseases such as diarrhoea and malaria. The stale waters and the rapidly deteriorating hygienic conditions for the children and families turned homeless by the floods are already causing severe cases of illness. The CRPE Orphan Centre is asking for all the help they can gather in identifying and treating the most urgent cases of diarrhoea. With no movement in the flood waters and the seasonal heat, the families sleeping outside are also very exposed to malaria. These conditions are expected to bring an outburst in diseases.

The UPG volunteers on the ground are still working with brother Licinio to continue to evaluate the more serious cases. We are looking for local support of any doctors that could help us in this field.

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

Flood Update: Road connections in affected areas partially reopened

Roads in the Chokwe region yesterday

Xai-Xai - Maputo: The road from Maputo to Xai-Xai has been reopened. This is very good news as the EN1 road access into Xai-Xai area and connets the North and South of the country. There is still water coming into downtown Xai-Xai but we receive reports the flow is becoming less intense.

Connection Monte Chirrundzo and Orphan Centre CRPE: with the enormous help of the Opway engineers in the area, as well as a few local military staff, we have together been able to move some lands and fill the pathways that were covered in water. This will allow the circulation of vehicles and therefore better access to emergency food supplies, first aid and water.

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

Food supplies from the ALG Emergency Fund on the way!

ALG friends, our hardworking Father Licinio bought supplies for the second time using the Emergency Fund you all helped gather. This time he is taking milk, beans and peanut for the children in the Orphan Centre CRPE. 

Thanks to everyone's support in the UK and Portugal, over $4'300 were applied on the ground in 72 hours. 

Unfortunately we have still not been able to purchase water given the exorbitant prices.  

For all of you who still want to help, everyday we are addressing the hunger situation in the several intervention areas affected by the floods. Please continue your support!

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

The Orphan Centre CRPE starts flood recovery efforts

After the fantastic news and his “victory” from yesterday night, when Brother Licinio was able to return to the Centre Rebirth for Hope CRPE with fresh supplies, today preparations are on course to assemble an operational centre. Brother Licinio is on the ground on dry foot together with the two volunteer girls from our sister charity UPG.

Crowds gathered at CRPE to protect from

the high water level

The team on the ground is assessing the number of injured people who need to be transported to the hospital for urgent medical assistance. There are still huge crowds around them sheltering at the CRPE centre. The situation is still very chaotic but every one is trying their best to overcome these initial difficulties.

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

Chokwé Floods – News From our brave technician Hilario

Hilario, an ALG technician in SVP and  Uni Sponsored student, 

on happier days before the 2013 floods

The ALG Local Technician Hilario is still recovering from his wound and sounds more cheerful. He manages to stay in his own house though it is partially destroyed. At the time of this report he had some food left with him. He also reports a problematic hygienic situation as the flood waters have been stagnated for days now, the smell is becoming unbearable and sanitary conditions deteriorate.

Hilario tells us some people have died when they tried to go to their vegetable fields before the floods to check on the rice crops.  When the waters rose they were stranded and several took refuge on top of the trees. After days without food, some of the more fragile and elderly ones gave up on their fight and were dragged by the waters.

There is widespread fear as the population awaits the dams in South Africa to be opened once again…

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

Chokwé Floods – S Vicente de Paulo School Update

Chokwe, where SVP school is based, submersed

and photographed by our local technician Hilario

The school of S Vicente de Paulo (“SVP”) is in the 5^th neighborhood, one of the most affected areas in Chokwé. This is the lowest neighborhood in town and there is no way to drain the water as it is lower that the rest of the surrounding lands. In SVP school all the classrooms and the registrar office are affected. The Pedagogical Coordinator in SLM, Mr. Calado, who lives in Macia, has visited the school everyday. The water level is still knee-high and, unfortunately, during the floods it rose to above the tables and closets, so all the school contents are still floating around. The school files and documentation of all the children were lost in the floods and there is still no dry place to pout them to dry and try to recover it.

We are unaware of the whereabouts of the children as the neighborhood is completely deserted – everyone was evacuated. As soon as conditions allow it and there is clean water they will proceed with the cleaning operations. The children will not be able to help at school as they are either in their own houses trying to help the family, they have escaped or they are left too weak as they have not eaten in days.

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!

Floods in Mozambique– Santa Luisa de Marillac School update

Chokwe village submersed on the 24 Jan 2013

The ALG Local Partners in Santa Luisa de Marillac school (“SLM”), Sister Lidia and Sister Beta, were evacuated to Maputo. Both Vicentine Sisters, they went against their will as they wanted to stay close to the school and the children in order to help but it was considered unsafe given their advanced age. Sister Esperança, a nurse, remained with the younger Sisters and the novices in Chokwé to assess the damages to the main house hosting the school.

While they are still unaware of the whereabouts of ay of the children, the good news is that there are currently no reports of casualties among the school population. The bigger problem at the moment is that the very poor population lost all the few personal belongings they had – family huts destroyed, all the house supplies, etc.  

Tomorrow, the Sister community will try to reach the Manjangue neighborhood where the SLM school is based, to clean up and access the extent of the damage. Before escaping from the invasion of the waters, they managed to put the computers and sewing machines from the technical courses on top of tables but it is not clear how high the water level went. The fridges, freezers and all small domestic appliances were already floating in the water when the Sisters escaped and there is no hope to save these.

Local news reports expect more rain and more water floods today despite the existing levels having lower already.

Help our emergency appeal by making your donation here

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/algfloodemergency

Every Little Gesture Counts!