Cyclone Idai Appeal

On 15 March 2019 Cyclone Idai swept through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, leaving behind a trail of destruction affecting an estimated 2.6 million people. Now, hundreds of thousands of survivors are in urgent need of food, water and shelter.

The scale of the crisis continues to unfold and deepen as heavy rains and floods continue. There is a desperate need for aid and vulnerable older people risk being left behind and forgotten.

Our partners in Malawi say:

• "We need all the help we can get to reach the survivors, and help them rebuild their lives."

Age International is responding in: Malawi and Mozamique, working with partners on the ground to target the most vulnerable and isolated people over the age of 60, who are suffering in the wake of the disaster.

In Mozambique, Beira - Mozambique’s fourth largest city with over 500,000 inhabitants – is ‘90% destroyed’ by the storm. It is totally without electricity and communication.  Several villages in Mozambique have been cut off from the mainland by a tidal surge.

In Malawi, the Government have declared a ‘state of disaster’.  Thousands are homeless as Malwi houses have collapsed – leaving people living in the schools, churches and camps.  Agricultural fields have been destroyed and livestock washed away.

Our partners are currently in the process of reaching out to older people to confirm what items they most desperately need and as always, we will champion the voices of older people on the ground and make sure that other aid agencies can provide for older people's special with specialist training, support and advice.

During a natural disaster like this, older people:

• Are more vulnerable to water-borne diseases like cholera – they desperately need clean water
• Can’t chew all kinds of food, or carry heavy aid packs, or open packs with arthritic fingers – they need food aid that is designed especially for them
• Are more vulnerable to the cold – they need mattresses to sleep on, shelter, blankets
• Might have mobility problems and live in difficult to reach rural locations – they need aid to come to them
• Most have geriatric medical conditions that require specialist medicines

After lives have been saved, older people need to be included in the efforts to rebuild – making sure that they have sturdy homes and suitable ways to earn a living.