The armed conflict in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, which has lasted more than three years, has generated a crisis of displacement, with more than 25% of the population currently living away from their home communities. Houses have been abandoned in the central and northern districts of the province while people search for safer locations — primarily with host families in the provincial capital, Pemba, and the province’s southern districts. The resurgence of attacks by Islamic insurgents in 2020, with the assault and temporary occupation of the district capitals of Mocímboa da Praia, Quissanga, Muidumbe and Macomia, resulted in increased displacement and generated a huge influx of people heading toward Pemba. In April 2021, the International Organization of Migration estimated that more than 732,000 internally displaced persons have been identified in Cabo Delgado since 2017. The repeated dislocation of individuals and the destruction of livelihoods have exhausted families’ scarce resources, leading to multiple health and protection emergencies.
In response to the conflict, FHI 360’s Integrated Response to Affected Mozambique Populations (IRAMP) project is implementing multisectoral health, protection and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) activities for more than 354,030 individuals impacted in the target areas, based on available population data from the Regional Health Bureau.
FHI 360’s response to the emergency in Cabo Delgado through this project is a three-phased approach. The first phase comprises a series of interventions that focus on immediate lifesaving activities that do not depend on existing infrastructure or systems. They include service provision through mobile medical units (MMUs), the delivery of water through water trucking, the distribution of essential non-food items, and identification and referral of sexual and gender-based violence cases for care and support.
The second phase of the project will begin to leverage existing infrastructure and systems as FHI 360 restores essential health and water services. These activities include the transition of MMU services to static health facilities once they are functional and the restoration and repair of water systems.
The third phase will focus on delivering services through government structures and systems as they are restored, but with the assumption that the federal and district governments will not have the capacity to support and maintain operations fully. These activities include increased collaboration and support to government mechanisms, such as the provincial directorate of health to pay incentives to facility staff, provide pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, conduct supervision, and provide technical support to manage and maintain health systems in a sustained manner.
