“I had to flee with nothing. Everything I had was taken by the water”: ActionAid launches emergency appeal after fatal flooding in Mozambique
PRESS STATEMENT
26 January 2026: ActionAid Mozambique says that aid cuts and the climate crisis are putting thousands at risk after dramatic rains and flooding in Central and Southern Mozambique.
Following torrential rains, severe flooding is devastating lives and livelihoods in Central and Southern Mozambique, with over 100 people killed and many thousands injured and displaced.
Elsa Manhique, resident of the Buna area in Manhiça District, lost everything and is asking for support to start again: “I had to flee from Buna with nothing. Everything I had was taken by the water,” Elsa said, visibly shaken.
“All the houses and belongings are under water. We have nothing. The houses collapsed. We left without documents, without clothes, without anything,” Elsa added.
Marcia Cossa, Acting Executive Director of ActionAid Mozambique says, “While over 600,000 people have been affected across several regions in the country, we need solidarity from the international community to recover from this terrible disaster.
“Mozambique is one of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, ranking seventh globally in disaster risk. The country faces cyclones, floods, and droughts, which are intensifying due to climate change, causing mass displacement and severe food insecurity.
Felizarda Chaúque, a young woman resettled after the floods in Boane, says, “The water was coming very fast. The children were crying, they were cold and hungry. Our biggest fear was losing one of them along the way.” The floods not only destroyed homes, but also separated families and left entire communities cut off.
Ms Cossa added: “As needs grow, international aid and cooperation is shrinking. This roll back is costing lives. They slow down emergency responses, isolate hard-to-reach communities, and leave families without food, shelter, or medical care.”
ActionAid is launching an international appeal to gather funds to support our work with local partners to provide immediate lifesaving water and food assistance to communities, prioritising women-headed households, children, and those who need more support.
ENDS
Marcia Cossa, Acting Executive Director of ActionAid Mozambique is available for interview. Please contact the press office at media-enquiries@actionaid.org for requests.
About ActionAid
ActionAid is a global federation working for a world free from poverty and injustice. We want to see a just, fair and sustainable world, in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity, and freedom from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice and gender equality, and to eradicate poverty.