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Report on Deployment to Cyclone Idai
Day 1: Monday June 3 2019
Two of our DART Volunteers, Peter Hazell and Suzie Vaill, left for Mozambique to start an assessment for us.
We have heard that they had arrived safely in Johannesburg and were waiting for their connection to Beira.
Day 2: Tuesday June 4
Peter and Suzie have made it safely to Beira (Mozambique) and have made contact with Beira Rotary Club.
Arrangements for local transportation are underway, and local SIM cards for phones acquired.
Plans for Tomorrow:
- Aim to continue with assessing safety and efficient means of travel
- Familiarisation of local area, make contacts and access the effect on locality of Cyclone Idai
Day 3: Wednesday June 5
Peter and Suzie have made contact with Beira Rotary Club, Hilfswerk, and others about possible projects.
Contacts have also been established with Shelter and WASH Clusters in the Beira and Manica areas.
They each carried 50 Sawyer water filters with them and have started discussions about where they might be best deployed.
Plans for tomorrow:
- Travel to Lamego to review DAI (Australia)/ Hilfswerk SkyHydrant installation
- Travel on to Chimoio for Manica Province Shelter cluster meeting and a meeting with Chimoio Rotary Club.
Day 4: Thursday June 6
- Visited village Lamego to review SkyHydrant that had been installed by DAI AUS/Hilfswerk Charity. Lamego village are not using the Sky Hydrant installed because the water pump is not working. Took details of pump needed and tried to source in local town. The pump needed was not available so passed information to Hilfswerk Charity who are now looking into where pump can be sourced.
- Attended Shelter Cluster meeting in Chimoio. Made contact with many NGOs including Cluster Head, National Institute of Disaster Management (Mozambique) (INGC) representative and UNICEF regional coordinator. Message from INGC was that post Idai they were no longer in “emergency” status but “resettlement and rebuild” phase. INGC had left region but have now returned, 4 weeks later, because all many villages had been missed.
- Attended Chimoio Rotary Club meeting to explain our visit and asked for advice on projects in desperate need.
Day 5: Friday June 7
- Visited Machacuaari (20 families in need of shelter), Machabonha (56 families in need of shelter) and Gudza (144 families in need of shelter) and determined a roof building project using shelter repair kits. If approved, Phase 1 is expected to cover 76 families in 2 villages of Machacuaari and Machabonha.
- Approx. time to reach villages from Chimoio (3 hours to Dombe allowing paperwork stops and then 30 mins to turning for off road.
- Machacuaari – Approx 20 mins off road
- Machabonha – Approx 10 min more off road
- Gudza – Approx 15 mins more off road
Future Deployments:
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- Accommodation in Dombe area hard to find. Catholic Mission available in Dombe.
- Off road vehicle needed to reach above villages.
Day 6: Saturday June 8
Dombe area to Chimoio
- Met with Mr Teixera, Director of Province Manhica INGC (note working on a Saturday!) to discuss potential project in the 3 villages visited yesterday. Agreed to review budgets and forward a proposal.
- Post identifying this potential roof project looking to get approval from:
- INGC director, Monday
- Shelter Cluster Lead, Monday
- Disaster Aid UK&I, tomorrow
- Met with WASH cluster lead to discuss proposed roof project and get update on latest WASH situation
- They are organising list of names of families in villages so that we can identify exactly who receives the building material
- There are still villages in need (more remote) and expected to be in location until at least end of July. In general, shelter needs are being less covered by other charities.
Day 7: Sunday June 9
- Trained Rotary Club Chimoio members on Sawyer water filters and gave them 15 kits and buckets to distribute. Gave recommendation for villages (from WASH shelter cluster lead – Njote, Muchamba) that is in desperate need as very remote.
Day 8: Monday June 10
- Sourced material from local supplier with help of Chimoio Rotary.
Promotional :
- Started putting together “Build Back Better” promotional material – to be completed
Needs Assessments:
- Revised specification of transitional shelter kits with discussions from Chimoio Rotary yesterday
- Sourced material from local builders merchants with guidance from Rotary and agreed terms pending authorisation from Government
- Met with NGO “Lutherans for the World” who have worked in the area and discussed distribution strategy
Background Info:
- Still aiming for delivery on Wednesday
Plans for Tomorrow :
- Government meeting 9am
- Plan for delivery
Day 9: June 11
Financials:
- Organised and paid for materials from local supplier for 76 families
- Issues with paying for materials resolved. Supplier very helpful. Modest discount negotiated
- Hired car for transport to delivery sites for us and Rotary and other Government officials
Promotional :
- Verbal agreement from Government to progress with distribution (required 3 meetings)
- Local representation of government are keen that we meet with Director of Public Works to discuss further potential distributions
- “Build Back Better” methodology promotional material designed (as promoted by Shelter Cluster) and printed. To be delivered 1 per family with material.
Needs Assessments:
- Further detailed distributions over strategy undertaken with supplier and agreed with Government. Established need to
- provide a list of recipient households which will be used to gain finger print signatures with ink
- roped off area for supplies prior to collection
- gilets for helpers
- contact village chiefs prior to arriving
- and other details
Background Info:
- Shelter Cluster provided translation for meeting via phone.
- On-going discussion around monitoring the project with Rotary Chimoio
Plans for Tomorrow :
- Trouble free delivery to village 1 – Muchabonha 56 families
- Big promotion day – photo and video
- Overnight stay in Catholic Mission in Dombe – no phone or internet anticipated.
Day 10: June 12, 2019
- Renter a car hire in Chimoio to go to the selected villages.
- Despite agreeing with all that we would leave at 9am the truck was not loaded fully until 11am.
- Delivery team consists of 2 x Disaster Aid, 1 from Chimoio Rotary, 1 representative from INGC, teacher from Muchabonha, 2 from material suppliers, district village administrator who we picked up.
- We left together but truck did not arrive in Dombe until 4pm.
- On route stopped at Chef de Post to advise of delivery.
- Took material to Muchabonha and unloaded. All assured that materials would be safe.
Plans for Tomorrow :
- Trouble free delivery to village 1 and 2 – Muchabonha 56 families and Machaquari 20
- Big promotion day – photo and video
Day 11: June 13, 2019
- Delivered transitional shelter kits to Muchabonha 56 families and Machaquari 20 families.
- Lots and lots of photos and videos taken when off-loading the truck and distributing shelter kits including Rotary banner
- The people in villages were delightful and followed our process for delivering without any objections or trouble
- Stayed in Catholic Mission again as it was dark by the time we were back onto tarmac road and 2-3 hours from Chimoio
Plans for Tomorrow :
- Travel back to Chimoio and meet with WASH Cluster, material supplier and possibly Government
- Try again to make contact with Hilfswerk in hope of delivering water filters, purchase buckets and water pump.
Day 12: June 14
Financials / Budget:
- Car hired for trip from Chimoio to Villages
- Donation to Catholic Mission for board and accommodation
- Hilfwerk sent through budget costs for buckets and submersible pump which were deemed uncompetitive. Explored alternative options although pump specification/price was variable. 2HP pump required.
Promotional :
- Met with INGC to say thank you and goodbye
- Met with Cluster co-ordinator for debrief and future contact arrangements
- Met with Armil suppliers to thank them for their assistance and hard work
- Kept liaising with Hilfwerk but communications poor. Offered 35 Sawyer water filters to them for collection tomorrow…no response.
Needs Assessments:
- Decided to give balance of 35 Sawyer Water filters to RC Chimoio
- Agreed Monitoring phase to be undertaken by RC Chimoio (PH to write email with expectation).
Plans for Tomorrow :
- Return to Beira to meet with Hilfwerk and /or Beira RC
Day 13: June 15
Promotional :
- Uploading Photos where possible to Dropbox
Needs Assessments:
- Trying to agree strategy for the last 50 Sawyer water filters that were in store in Beira.
- RC Chimoio have a close and respected working relationship with WASH cluster.
- RC Beira have a need and have been trained (by DAA)
- We had promised 35 to Hilfwerk subject to bucket provision (not forthcoming)
- RC Chimoio agreed for RC Beira to collect on their behalf and they would agree between them according to need. Initial estimates 30 to Chimoio and 20 to Beira agreed as best solution.
Plans for Tomorrow :
- PH and SV fly out and need to be at Beira airport 11.30