International Relief and Development NGO Plan Supports Mozambique Cyclone Gombe Recovery to Restore Local Economy and Education Capacity

Supporting Continuous Quality Education Even in Disaster Situations

[Photo by Plan Korea]

The international relief and development NGO Plan shared the outcomes of its educational support activities conducted in Mozambique, which suffered significant damage from Cyclone Gombe in 2022. With Plan's assistance, approximately 1,464 residents of Mozambique received direct support, and about 7,340 people benefited indirectly. This project was carried out as part of KOICA's humanitarian aid public-private partnership program for emergency disaster relief.

Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province in the southern region was still recovering from the conflict and the consecutive damages caused by Cyclones Ana and Dumako when Cyclone Gombe struck in March 2022, causing severe destruction. Due to Gombe, 78,685 houses were completely destroyed, 63,219 houses were partially damaged, and 69 health centers, 588 schools, 2,764 utility poles, and 1,008.3 km of roads were lost.

Plan recognized that the extensive damage to schools had led to interruptions in children's education, violations of children's right to education, and a significant increase in protection risks, and promptly initiated support. In the hardest-hit areas, including Namachepa Primary School and Muirekene Primary School in Mogovolas district, Plan provided temporary educational facilities consisting of three classrooms and one storage room for each school, along with educational supplies such as brooms, chalk, math teaching aids, and teacher notebooks. Additionally, school sanitation facilities were constructed with gender sensitivity in mind.

Furthermore, dignity kits containing hygiene products such as underwear, reusable cloth sanitary pads, skirts, lotion, soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste were distributed to girls from grades 3 to 7. To minimize education disruption and ensure safe learning, Plan also enhanced teachers' educational capacities by providing learner-centered education that considered gender sensitivity, including lesson planning and development of learning materials for teachers at the project schools.

A Plan representative stated, “The support activities in Mozambique responding to Cyclone Gombe helped revive the local economy through the regional procurement of construction materials and improved the resilience of local education. Notably, girls were able to continue their studies during menstruation in safe and hygienic facilities, and teachers' capacities in child protection and lesson preparation were strengthened, laying the foundation for maintaining quality education even in disaster situations.”

Plan continues to prioritize the protection of children, the most vulnerable group in disaster situations, ensuring that children's education does not stop under any circumstances.