Zimbabweans have really come together in facing the devastating effect of the tropical cyclone Idai which has affected a lot of people in Manicaland, Zimbabwe’s eastern province. The UN describes this as the worst natural disaster in Southern Africa ever. Almost a hundred Zimbabweans had been confirmed dead at the time of publishing this. thousands of homes have been destroyed or partially destroyed and about 600 families have been left completely homeless. Citizens from across the country and others outside the country have involved themselves in offering relief. Here are some of the initiatives that you can contribute to: Monetary contributions Zimbabwe Cyclone Relief on GoFundMe (Ideal for Offshore Contributions). https://www.gofundme.com/zimbabwe-cyclone-relief Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Ecocash Biller code 320041. Econet has pledged to match dollar for dollar all individual contributions made towards this cause. Contribute on *151*2*1*320041*Amount# NetOne OneMoney Shortcode: *111*2*1*4*19707# Agribank: Account Name: Cyclone Idai Relief Fund, Account No: 114000014856, Branch: Agrigold (49638) OR EcoCash: *151*2*1*49638# FBC Holdings : Acc Name: FBC Cyclone Idai Donations Acc No : Account Number : 1070230530115 Centre Branch : ZB Financial Holdings: Account Number: 4190815125840 Natal Road Branch, Ref: Idai Donation Alpha Media Holdings via EcoCash. *151*2*2*104628*Amount# (ZimInd Publishers) ONEchurch via EcoCash *151*2*2*151449*Amount# (One Church) ONEchurch via bank: Account Name: Highlands Presbyterian Church. Acc No: 1003090427. Northridge Park. In kind contributions Thousands of people in Chimanimani, Chipinge and other areas need food, clothing, medical supplies and other essentials. There are organisations that are collecting such in kind contributions. It’s important to bear in mind that these families are probably going to need a lot of support for quite some time as some of them have to start from the ground up to build livelihoods and homes. Here are places where you can drop off your contributions: Harare Any Econet Shop Miracle Missions: Highlands Presbyterian Church. 112 Enterprise Road, Highlands Highlands Presbyterian Church. 112 Enterprise Road, Highlands Eat Out Movement: 3 Allan Wilson Avenue. Greater Avenues 3 Allan Wilson Avenue. Greater Avenues ONEchurch: 15 De noon Road, Avondale 15 De noon Road, Avondale Chisipite Senior School: (Front Office on Monday 18 March) All items to be dropped off by Tuesday, 19 March (Front Office on Monday 18 March) All items to be dropped off by Tuesday, 19 March Jah Prayzah Offices, 31 Herbert Chitepo Harare Bulawayo: Any Econet Shop 45 Moffat Ave Hillside (Along Burnside road) Or call 0773 103 262 they will come and pick your donation. Whole Zimbabwe Any Econet Shop Any TelOne Exchange Call toll free 08002000 Call toll free 08002000 Any ZB Bank or ZB Life Manager’s office Please note, if there are any ongoing campaigns not listed here that you know, let us know in the comments and we will vet them and add them.<doc-sep>Those who survived the disaster have had little reprieve to mourn the loss of their loved ones or salvage the little that is remaining of their belongings. They are in desperate need of food, shelter and clothing, as the BBC's Pumza Fihlani reports from Beira.<doc-sep>Humanitarian groups raced to help hundreds of thousands of people who lost their homes after Cyclone Idai crashed into Mozambique on Thursday. The storm also struck Malawi and Zimbabw, razing buildings, destroying crops and cutting off key roads and bridges. Aid workers fear for Beira, a coastal city in Mozambique that's home to more than 500,000 people. Beira was slammed Thursday by what was a Category 2 storm, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reported Monday that 90 percent of the Beira area had been destroyed. As of Monday, the official death toll across the cities of Beira, Dondo and Chimoio was 84. More than 200 people were thought to have died in Mozambique and Malawi as of Monday morning, NPR reported. At least 2,000 were injured in the two countries, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) reported. Zimbabwe experienced extensive damage, and authorities said 98 people had died, according to the BBC. President Filipe Nyusi warned that the death toll for Mozambique alone could reach 1,000 in the coming days. According to the United Nations, more than 1.5 million people had been affected by the cyclone. Aid organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children, were working hard to deliver aid to those affected by the storm. Matthew Cochrane, a spokesman for International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Newsweek: "This is the worst disaster in Mozambique's history. Beira has been devastated, and areas surrounding the city have been completely inundated by floodwaters that are, in some places, meters deep… This is a major humanitarian emergency." UNICEF spokesman Joe English told Newsweek: "We're getting reports of people stranded on the roofs of their buildings, in trees or in other elevated areas. Heavy rains continue across Mozambique. Search and rescue efforts continue, but it's a huge area to cover and there are only limited resources." People stranded on hilltops and roofs need shelter and clean water, Cochrane explained. But Beira has been "cut off completely by floodwaters." Submerged and damaged roads hamper search and rescue efforts. "The clock is ticking as we know the flood waters will continue to rise," he said Save the Children was battling to send relief trucks on a treacherous, hours-long journey to the affected area in Mozambique, Greg Ramm, vice president for humanitarian response, told Newsweek. "Access and rising flood waters are currently our biggest hurdles," he said. Crucial humanitarian supplies were airlifted to areas cut off by the storm and subsequent flooding, English said. Power outages continued across the affected regions, and communication lines had been seriously damaged. Aid organizations are struggling to keep up with demand for clean water. "We were able to pre-position some supplies—including water purification tablets—but our warehouse was severely damaged in the storm and so much more is needed," English said. Fearing the potential spread of waterborne diseases, Save the Children's Emergency Health Unit was already working with local authorities and other groups to prevent another wave of catastrophe. Médecins Sans Frontières spokesperson Brienne Prusak told Newsweek that existing medical facilities in Beira had been severely affected by the storm. "We see massive needs in Beira: The hospital and medical centre where MSF was providing HIV and TB care are only partially functional. Despite being severely damaged, Beira hospital has treated more than 1,500 wounded, which shows how serious this is. All 17 of Beira's health centres lost their roofs." English said UNICEF had already found more than 260 classrooms and 20 health centers damaged and destroyed in Mozambique. With many areas inaccessible, it's not yet possible to assess the full extent of damage from the storm. Aid organizations fear further crises could be on the horizon. Prusak said: "Other areas to the north in the Zambezi river basin are on our radar—if the Zambezi breaks its banks and creates extensive flooding, this could be another crisis looming, potentially even bigger than the devastation in Beira." Whatever happens in the coming days, it's certain the recovery will be lengthy, Cochrane said. "While it can take hours to destroy a community, it can take months or even years to rebuild." The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimated it needed about $10 million to help the 75,000 people most profoundly affected by the crisis, Cochrane said. "Our priorities are to provide people with shelter and to ensure they have clean water and basic sanitation." Readers can support the IFRC's work by donating online at https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/donate/. Ramm explained that Save the Children would be distributing emergency items such as buckets, tarpaulins, jerricans and multi-purpose tents. "Cash donations are always the best way to help in disasters like this," he said. Readers can support Save the Children's work in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe by donating online here. Readers can also support UNICEF's work in these countries—as well as those affected by other crises—by donating at donate.unicef.org. Readers can support Médecins Sans Frontières by donating at donate.doctorswithoutborders.org This article has been updated with comment from Brienne Prusak.<doc-sep>
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 & 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. USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, also has its own donation page. The United Nations World Food Programme is distributing food in the city of Beira and surrounding areas, and will stay on the ground to aid recovery as the flooding dwindles. To support their mission, donate here. Gorongosa National Park, a preservation area in central Mozambique, has set up its own emergency food program to provide food and safe water in areas that are harder to reach by the national emergency response crews. Donate and read campaign updates 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. International Medical Corps has been in Zimbabwe since 2009, and they have deployed a response team in Southeastern Africa that is working to access the most devastated areas. 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. Oxfam is planning, initially, to assist a half million people with sanitation, health and hygiene, including the distribution of water purification tablets and hygiene kits. The organization also plans an analysis of the way the disaster affects women and girls. You can donate here. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization, is accepting donations for Mozambique relief efforts. World Vision, a global Christian organization, is responding to affected areas in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, providing food, water and sanitation supplies. They have also provided household supplies to 3,000 families in Mozambique so far. We verified organizations to the best of our ability. If you aren’t sure about the legitimacy of a charitable organization, visit Charity Navigator.