Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Many aid groups are still assessing the damage and devising logistics to reach the most heavily affected areas, but here are some international and African organizations that are leading relief efforts.

Source: How to help cyclone victims in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe | PBS NewsHour

Cyclone Idai has triggered massive floods, displaced thousands in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, and killed more than 200 people so far — a toll that could eventually surpass 1,000, Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi said on Monday.

The storm has nearly obliterated Mozambique’s fourth largest city, devastating 90 percent of Beira, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Heavy rains, expected to continue through Thursday, could further exacerbate flooding and complicate relief efforts.

Many aid groups are still assessing the damage and devising logistics to reach the most heavily affected areas, but here are some international and African organizations that are leading relief efforts.

How to donate

Humanity and Inclusion have been working in Mozambique since 1986, helping disable landmines and tackling other issues stemming from the country’s 25-year civil war. The organization has 40 people working on the ground in Mozambique, helping clear roads and giving special attention to people with disabilities. You can read more about their work and donate here.

Save the Children is working closely with the Mozambique government and other aid organizations to support children impacted by the disaster. An aerial assessment shows that major flooding is imminent in the town of Buzi, home to approximately 2,500 children.

Catholic Relief Services is the international agency of the Catholic Church in the United States. Working with local partners in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, Catholic Relief Services are working to provide an initial 4,000 families with immediate aid – food, emergency shelter, water and living supplies.

The Association for the Children of Mozambique is a Mozambique-based charity founded by Swiss national Barbara Hoffman.The organization provides support to orphans and runs schools in the country.

Joint Aid Management (JAM) is an African-founded organization working and operating in Angola, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda and Sierra Leone.

The UN’s International Disaster Relief System fund would support efforts to provide aid to more than 400,000 people. UNICEF is also on the ground helping children and families. You can make tax-deductible donation to their relief fund here.

Gift of the Givers is an African disaster relief organization that is leading flood response in Malawi. You can contribute to their efforts here.

Doctors Without Borders is working to provide medical support and water sanitation in Mozambique, ZImbabwe and Malawi. You can make a general donation to their efforts here.

CARE, a nonprofit that focuses on women and girls, is providing seeds and livestock. They are also working with other aid organizations to give out tools for water purification, as well as hygiene products and emergency latrines.

We verified organizations to the best of our ability. If you aren’t sure about the legitimacy of a charitable organization, visit Charity Navigator.

The post How to help cyclone victims in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

The People’s President Adv.  Nelson Chamisa together with the MDC national leadership visited communities in Manicaland which were affected by cyclone Idai and assessed the damage, the needs of the survivors and the community.

Source: Cyclone Idai – MDC assesses damage, calls for international intervention – The Zimbabwean

The post Cyclone Idai – MDC assesses damage, calls for international intervention  appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: ’Zim-bound wheat holed up in Moza’ | Newsday (News)

BY VENERANDA LANGA

CLOSE to 100 truckloads of Zimbabwe’s wheat imports are holed up in Beira after Cyclone Idai damaged infrastructure and made most roads impassable.

Chairperson of the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) Tafadzwa Musarara revealed this after appearing before the Justice Mayor Wadyajena-led Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands and Agriculture.

Musarara had been summoned to give oral evidence on the procurement of grain and wheat by GMAZ, foreign currency allocations that GMAZ received from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) from January 2015 to March 2019. The committee wanted proof of all wheat acquittals, names and contacts of suppliers and transporters and donations made by GMAZ.

During the committee meeting, Wadyajena alleged that Musarara had approached senior government officials, the military and intelligence services seeking protection so that he does not appear before Parliament.

“I thought the purpose of the committee meeting was for me to give an update on the wheat situation as we are in another drought period. Logistics wise, Beira is currently inaccessible with close to 100 trucks of wheat that are supposed to come to Zimbabwe stuck there. The wheat is now wet and we thought we were going to share this with the committee,” Musarara said.

“However, there is a ship with our wheat which will be docking in Maputo and the load will go through Chiqualaquala via Rutenga and then come to Harare.”

Musarara said the load of wheat from Maputo is expected in the country in two weeks, adding that bakers were meanwhile only getting 45% to 50% of wheat requirements.

He said the country was growing 200 000 tonnes of wheat when the requirement was 400 000 tonnes, adding that the country’s wheat was gristed, implying that bakers would have to mix it with other imported wheat in order to produce quality bread.

On allegations of seeking protection from the army, Musarara said: “I do not know anything about it. I was surprised when the committee chairperson said it. We were going to share with the committee every nostro dollar that we received. Actually, there is a legacy debt of $8 million owed to millers and suppliers have stopped supplying us and we have proof of payment.”

Documents that Musarara handed over to the committee showed that RBZ released foreign currency to GMAZ on three occasions since 2018. The first release was $12,45 million, then $2,5 million and $11,18 million to a company called Drosk Private Limited for onward transmission to other millers.

Musarara said the wheat shipments that they received since 2018 were 65 000 tonnes which came in multiples of 30 tonnes. He could not produce the contact details of the suppliers and Wadyajena said he still needed the documents for a meeting rescheduled for April 2.

The GMAZ chairperson claimed he only received the letter from Parliament on Wednesday and the documents requested could be as much as 145 tonnes of paper, so he had no time to prepare them all.

“We have nothing to hide and we will bring all the documents,” Musarara said.

The post ’Zim-bound wheat holed up in Moza’ appeared first on NewsDay Zimbabwe.

The post ’Zim-bound wheat holed up in Moza’ appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.