The World Bank approved today an International Development Association (IDA)* grant of US$35 million equivalent from the institution’s Crises Response Window as additional financing to scale up the Government of Mozambique’s safety net programs in response to the devastating effects of the cyclones Idai and Kenneth on people’s livelihoods in affected communities. This financing is accompanied by a US$10 million grant from a Multidonor Trust Fund supported by the Department for International Development, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

“The recent natural disaster events have resulted in tremendous human suffering in rural and urban communities throughout Mozambique,” noted Mark Lundell, World Bank Country Director for Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Comoros. “This project will help the extremely poor households affected by these natural hazards by providing temporary income support while continuing the efforts of putting in place the building blocks of a social safety net system in the country. ”

Climate-related shocks disproportionally affect the most vulnerable, and the two cyclones have destroyed their precarious dwellings and decimated the livelihoods of the poorest families in Mozambique. The existing Social Protection Project supports the implementation of key social assistance programs that are now scaled up in the affected areas.

“These extreme events pose serious threats to poverty reduction efforts and emphasize the need to strengthen social protection systems to rapidly respond to support consumption smoothing among vulnerable families,” noted Edmundo Murrugarra, World Bank Senior Social Protection Economist and responsible for the Project.

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