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Press Release: iDE leverages local connections to support Mozambique relief efforts - 22 March 2019

iDE staff in Mozambique mobilize to connect victims of Cyclone Idai with support and resources

March 22, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: KC Koch, iDE Vice President of Global Communications and Marketing


DENVER, CO — Denver-based international non-profit iDE is mobilizing its team in Mozambique to support the emergency relief efforts in the aftermath of devastating cyclone Idai that made landfall on March 15, 2019. The cyclone caused widespread damage, and in some places complete destruction, to the homes, farms, and communities of thousands of Mozambicans, including iDE staff members and its clients. 


“iDE staff are safe, despite many having lost their houses and belongings. However, thousands of people in rural communities in the districts of Sofala, Manica, and Tete Province have lost much more, including relatives and friends. We still do not know the magnitude of the catastrophe, particularly in rural areas. Flooding over 100 kilometers from south of Buzi to northwest of Dondo and Beira has made the crisis worse than expected. At least 60,000 people still await rescue.” 

— Stefano Gaspirini, iDE Country Director in Mozambique

iDE’s work increasing rural people’s incomes through innovative agriculture practices has been interrupted by the devastation. iDE’s extensive networks of farmers, local businesses, and field teams put them in a good position to play an immediate role in connecting people to the support and resources they need.

iDE and its network of donors and partners, including the Swedish Embassy in Mozambique, the Embassy of Switzerland, ECLT, and Opportunity International, are working together to address both immediate needs and a plan for long-term recovery. In the coming weeks, iDE staff is planning to work with the farmers in the areas most affected to assess the damage and formulate a plan for rebuilding and revitalizing farms and livelihoods.

About iDE

Founded by life entrepreneur Paul Polak in 1982, iDE uses the power of business to solve poverty. Working in agriculture; water, sanitation, and hygiene; and access to finance, iDE creates opportunities for low-income people to form businesses and support market solutions that bring transformational products and services to people living on less than $2 per day.

iDE is a 501(c)3 organization based in Denver, Colorado with offices in London, England and Winnipeg, Canada. It operates programs in eleven countries—five in Africa (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, and Zambia), four in Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, and Vietnam), and two in Central America (Honduras and Nicaragua). With a current operating budget of $30 million, iDE has 1,100 staff, 96 percent of whom live in the countries they support and 93 percent of whom are citizens of those nations.