What happened on the day the
floods came to Mozambique?
The story of Eliza Matsolo, of the Village of Canicado, Guija District, Gaza Province, Mozambique, February 2000 as told to Grace Kiniki, former coordinator of the flood relief program of the Foundation for Community Development of Mozambique
Here is the story of Eliza as told by Eliza herself to me.
She is a thirty-five year old woman. She looks more like fifty -- life has not been kind to her. She has five children ranging in age between thirteen and three.
For her it started off just like any other day. True it was raining but it had rained before. Eliza had no idea that the events of this day would change her life forever. Eliza's routine was the same almost everyday. She had to work hard to fend for her children. She was not really a single mother then as her husband was alive.
Her husband Jose
Jose used to work in the mines in South Africa. Life then was much better. Every month she crossed the bridge and went to Kawena Trading in Chokwe -- a company with an office in South Africa that facilitates miners working there to send goods to their families in Mozambique. He would have paid for her to collect rice, beans, sugar, cooking oil and building materials sometimes. They had managed to build a two-room house made of mud walls and a corrugated iron roof. He would come home once a year around Christmas time.
Mother and child in Gaza Province after the 2000 flood. |
He spent most of the money he brought back from South Africa on paying 'kurandeiras' (traditional doctors). He believed some jealous person had cast a spell on him. Most of the time he sits around or when he feels better he goes to the local 'baracca' to join other men there and they drink 'tontonto' -- a highly potent, high-alcohol content locally brewed spirit. On some of these days he would come home and be very abusive and threaten violence on Eliza and the kids sometimes. He has been known to carry out these threats sometimes.
A typical day?
Eliza is always up at the crack of dawn. Today was no different. She woke the kids up to prepare for their five kilometre walk to school, give them whatever leftover food from the previous night and they would be on their way. They attend the school shift starting at 8:30am until 11:30 noon. After the kids have gone she would grab her 'capulana' (Mozambican sarong) and strap the three-year old on her back to head off to the 'machamba' (fields). She caught up with her neighbour, Nitinha, and they continued on their way to the machamba.
After working in the fields they collected some firewood on their way home where on arrival she sets about preparing the evening meal. Jose is not home yet. She left the dry beans soaked in water in the morning. Now she makes the fire and starts boiling them. While the beans are boiling she takes the 'pilau' (big pestle and mortar) and starts the laborious task of pounding the maize. This process is followed by mashing this mixture in an earthernware bowl -- called 'algidar' -- into a very fine thick paste. This is the 'nsima' (porridge) that goes with the beans.
It is around six in the evening and finally dinner is ready and she serves the family. Jose arrives and today he seems happy. He tells Eliza that some drunken friend of his said that he heard somebody say that they heard an announcement that people should vacate their homes as the River Limpopo would be bursting its banks. This must be a joke because they have lived here for seventeen years and it has rained every year and this rain was no different so nothing more is said about this. They finish dinner and go everybody goes to sleep.
Many homes were washed away; in some cases the frame remained. |
Eliza woke up in the night and heard her neighbour Tininha shouting. When she got off the bed and swung her legs off the bed she was very confused to step into water! Where on earth was it coming from? Then panic hit her! The children! They slept on 'steras' (local reed mat) on the floor! She shook her Jose who was in a deep sleep. People were shouting everywhere. She jumped and ran to the next room calling her children's names!
Her husband Jose was up at this stage and coughing. He ran in to help get the children up and grab whatever piece of clothing they could in the dark and they all ran outside where everybody was running around in circles asking each other where all this water was coming from and what they should do. When they woke up the water level was just around the ankles and by now it was coming up to their knees. They had to get out of here and quick! She estimates the time to have been early morning. Jose told Eliza to go ahead with the children whilst he tried to salvage whatever possessions he could. Eliza wanted to argue but there was no time. This would be the last time Eliza saw her husband.
Eliza instructed the children to stay together no matter what happened. They all started going in the direction of the administration block and the school, as it seemed to be on higher ground. The water level was rising fast and the force of the water was getting too strong for the children. They were getting tired and they were getting cold. Eliza realized this and tore off one of the capulana around her waist and made strips. She tied each strip round each child's waist and secured all the ends of the strips together do she had the children in a chain. She then secured this very tightly round her own waist with the baby on her back.
Reconstruction effort observed by international film crew. |
Eliza had grown up by the river and swam all her life. She told the children to stop walking as the water level was almost up to their chests. She told them to 'kick' or tread as she powered on pulling her children behind her. Years of working in the fields and carrying heavy loads had made Eliza strong physically and she had the most amazing arms. These qualities would come in handy on this day She was not prepared for this task that was draining every ounce of her strength. She was exhausted but she had to keep moving for the sake of her children. She kept assuring them that everything would be alright and 'papa' was joining them later. There was total confusion all round as traumatized and scared animals, snakes, crocodiles and people were scrambling for dry land.
The Bishop and the snakes
Talking about scared snakes during these floods, maybe I should quickly mention the story of the Bishop in Chokwe District, who also woke up to find water invading his room. He ran and in his flight he grabbed his 'robe' but did not even have time to wear it. He climbed a tree to save himself from the water. He said as he was climbing up the tree a snake followed him also seeking refuge up the same tree. He shooed it away and managed to discourage it from coming up this tree. As soon as he felt comfortable and settled on a particularly strong branch of the tree, he looked up, and lo and behold, just above him was another snake that had already made a safe haven on the same tree and it was looking down at him!
He thought to himself, "If I try to shake this one off the tree, it's going to fall on me. What am I going to do?" After looking at the swelling waters below and the snake above him, he closed his eyes and did the only thing he knew best, pray. "God, please give me strength and courage to stay on this tree with this snake."
It would be three days before the Bishop was plucked off this tree and saved by the helicopter and the snake did not even try to harm him during this time!
Swimming for land
Getting back to Eliza, after dodging floating furniture, roofs and animals, the top of the school finally came into view!
There were many people there already. This welcome sight gave Eliza a new surge of strength and she kept swimming until she felt her feet touch the ground. Now she almost ran until she finally collapsed on the visible strip of road between the District Administration Block and the school. It was the only part of the ground not completely covered by water.
Her children were wet and shivering and their skin had become some funny grayish color from being in the water for too long but they were all alive! They all just held each other and cried with relief. She was one of the lucky ones. She would find out later some women had lost some of their children in the confusion. Meanwhile, where was her husband? She kept looking in the direction they came from but he did not appear. She saw many of her neighbors arrive and some of the men who had stayed behind started arriving at the school. Still Jose was nowhere to be seen.
Bishop Diniz Sengulane, an FDC board member, leads a memorial ceremony with people those who lost family members in the floods. |
Eliza was devastated. She was not with her relatives, nor did she know where they were. Her children had already been traumatized by this whole ordeal and now she had to tell them that their father had drowned. Traditional custom demands that on learning of bereavement, family, relatives and friends get together at his home and mourn his passing on. She could not even do this. There are many other rituals that have to be followed and now none of this could be respected. But not only would she not have time to mourn, there was no body to be buried either.
Rescued but homeless
Eliza and her children, plus at least twenty thousand other people, would stay on this four-meter wide five hundred-meter long strip of road for seven days before they were spotted and located by the helicopters. This particular helicopter to Guija was per request and under the direction of the President of the Foundation for Community Development (FDC), Mrs. Graça Machel, who knew this area very well and kept wondering how an entire population from one district could simply disappear under this river that was now an ocean.
Needless to say, Eliza lost everything that she owned. Their house simply disappeared. The walls dissolved and the corrugated iron roof sheets were washed away. All furniture and material possessions that had been in the house were washed away. All that was left was just the spot where the house used to stand. The school roof was damaged. People sat on the roof whilst running away from the water. The classrooms were filled with mud and the school desks were damaged. The 'centro de saude' was ruined. Water pumps were clogged with debris and mud. The bridge linking Guija with Chokwe was washed away.
FDC, OXFAM, Save the Children Fund, and the Red Cross, as well as UNICEF, the World Food Programme, UN Volunteers and other UN and relief agencies came to the rescue of some of the affected people. Tents, canvas, food, blankets, clothes, hygiene kits, water and water purifiers were distributed at the accommodation centres.
What did FDC do to help in 2000?
Formally established in 1994, the FDC is the first Mozambican foundation, with assets aimed at generating resources to finance community development initiatives and stimulating the capacity of Mozambican individuals and communities.
After the floods began in 2000, the FDC's response included:
- Helping increase Media Attention -- BBC, CNN, SABC interviews by FDC President, Graça Machel
- Distributing basic necessities from donors to help people restart their lives
- Roads' access rehabilitation and pontoon construction -- collaborating with other NGOs and the communities
- Target the most vulnerable groups in need of assistance e.g. women heads of families, children elderly, disabled and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers
- Help community leaders to regroup and mobilize people to help themselves
- Youth Involvement in disaster response -- volunteer scheme
- Co-ordination with other agencies to restore water, sanitation, education, health, agriculture and road services
- Digging wells and boreholes
- Family Reunions -- "Wona Sanana"
- Strengthening Social Institutions -- Collaboration with the Christian Council of Churches
- Building sound concrete and corrugated iron sheet houses for the most vulnerable groups.
- 12. Environmental awareness - Planting trees, etc.
Children outside a school renovated with support from the FDC. UNICEF provided new school supplies. |
As part of the reconstruction phase after the disaster, FDC mobilized a team of twenty-five volunteers in the first of the villages in Muianga, Chokwe District - to help build houses for the vulnerable groups - who being elderly and in some cases disabled themselves could not physically do this. It cost FDC, with logistical support from the company KAWENA, about US$2,500 to build a 32 square metre house for a family of eight and US$1,800 for a 16 square metre house to accommodate single older people who lived on their own.
FDC is hoping to engage in similar schemes in almost all the villages that they support, including some that were destroyed in floods earlier this year. Financial contributions to help with this reconstruction is needed - for building houses and schools, digging wells and boreholes, and other important projects is needed. For more information, contact Grace Kiniki at gracekiniki@msn.com or visit the FDC's webpage.
Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da Comunidade
Av. Eduardo Mondlane 1160, 1170 -- C.P. 4206 -- Maputo -- Moçambique
Tel: ++258 1 43 04 30/1
Fax: ++2581 42 25 95
E-mail: fdc@zebra.uem.mz