NYUSI delivers over 400 houses to cyclone IDAI victims

Maputo, 18 Jun (AIM) – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Monday handed over 410 houses to households affected by Cyclone Idai, which hit the central province of Sofala in 2019.

The houses, were built in Metuchira neighbourhood, Nhamatanda district, were budgeted at around 4.9 million dollars, financed by the government and the Tzu Chi Foundation. This foundation is a Buddhist inspired NGO, founded in Taiwan.

The construction of the houses began in April 2022 and is part of the government’s Post-Cyclone Reconstruction Programme (PREPOC).

At the handover ceremony, Nyusi said that the project improves the lifestyle of the communities, bringing improved toilets and environmental sanitation.

“We’re going to solve a lot of problems and we’re going to improve the well-being of those people who used to live without any hope. The houses represent a huge gain for the beneficiary families, for the neighbourhood, and for the province, as it will boost the installation of other improved social infrastructures”, he said.

The President also inaugurated a metal bridge, budgeted at 6.3 million dollars, funded by Tzu-Chi, in Metuchira.

For his turn, the head of the Mozambican branch of Tzu Chi, Dino Foi, said that the 410 houses are part of a total of 3,131 houses to be built in four neighborhoods, to resettle victims of Cyclone Idai.

The beneficiary families also received land titles, known as DUATs. Dino Foi said a DUAT “not only protects the family, but also gives them title to the property, which turns it into an asset, and these families can use it as collateral for a bank loan, for example.”

In 2019, Mozambique was severely hit by tropical cyclone Idai. The storm devastated the city of Beira. A few weeks later, the same city was hit by cyclone Guambe. The two cyclones left over 700 people dead and displaced 420,000 others, as well as destroying both public and private property.

(AIM)

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