Building blocks of recovery

Building blocks of recovery

Elias thought his brother was dead. Cyclone Idai destroyed everything he had. But with your help he regained hope, enough to overflow to Mozambique’s future generations.

Lectures weren’t on that day. But no-one had told Elias. He got to his college and it was empty – that was when he heard the winds blowing. Jumping into a car and getting a lift home, the car was slightly lifting, momentarily floating in the air on the way. He felt his feet pulling away from the floor as he ran into the house to find his brother. Parts of the roof had already been ripped off, and rain cascaded in through holes in the ceiling. He immediately thought the worst. He thought his brother was dead. Thank God, he wasn’t. He found his brother hiding. They ran to find shelter, but Elias had lost all his official documents; all the books he needed for his studies. He lost everything he had.

A church with the roof ripped off and interior destroyed.
Roof ripped off, all the furniture destroyed, the walls riddled with damp, this was the state of a Baptist church in Beira after Cyclone Idai.

This storm became what we know as Cyclone Idai, the natural disaster which hit Mozambique, and global news headlines in March. Shortly after, Cyclone Kenneth struck, leaving further damage in its wake. For Elias, BMS World Mission’s immediate relief response of food, shelter and clothes got him back on his feet. But what next? Before the cyclone, Elias was a theology student. He was also a preschool education programme (PEPE) teacher, in one of the 60 preschools in Mozambique funded by your support. But now he had lost all his coursework, and the preschool where he worked was in ruins. His future, as he had planned it, had been derailed.

Heaped rubble on the floor after Cyclone Idai.
Escolinha Joias de Africa was one of the PEPE schools reduced to rubble by Cyclone Idai.

Back in the shelter with his brother, Elias saw children start to pour in, taking refuge from the raging 120mph winds. Some of them had lost their homes, some their siblings, others their parents. They were all traumatised. During their seven weeks in the shelter, Elias prayed and played with them. “Everyone around me started to call me ‘pastor’ because I was praying,” Elias says. “I was so happy because the children learnt a lot.” They were children without an education, and children who’d had no other chance of learning about God’s love.

A man smiles at the camera with a Baptist church behind him.
Elias is just one of the Christians that you’re supporting to bring hope to younger generations in Mozambique.

Like Elias’, these children’s futures had been derailed. So many schools were now just heaped rubble on the ground. “Without school, children wander and waste time on the streets, learning from older kids who also aren’t in school,” explains Elias. “But at PEPE, children learn a lot. One of the mothers was so taken by her children’s transformation she wanted to come to church. That’s why I’m captivated by this work.”

A group of boys smile at the camera in Mozambique.
These children deserve a better future than wandering the streets. Will you give them one?

And that’s why the immediate relief you provided is just the beginning of Mozambique’s recovery story. Long-term relief means ensuring children have a future – and for that they need an education. Your generosity has enabled BMS to dedicate over £17,000 to rebuilding PEPE schools destroyed by Cyclone Idai. The team is led by BMS mission worker, Sergio Vilela. He’s using his previous experience in construction as a firm foundation for restoration. “I’d like to thank the UK Church. People were so generous after the cyclone,” he says. “We are able to help here only because the Church gave so generously.”

You’re also providing fullness of life. Alongside reconstructing PEPE schools, you’ve supported a play therapy project for children suffering from trauma. For children just like the ones Elias described staying in the shelter. “When I heard that UK churches had started to support us, I thought – wow! I could see we were united in the body of Christ,” says Elias. “We thank God and UK churches for the love you’ve shown us.” And everyone here at BMS thanks you too for your faithful generosity. Thank you for giving hope to those in need.

EDUCATION IN MOZAMBIQUE

In Mozambique, only 45 per cent of children complete primary school. Most drop out to help their parents at work, look after their siblings or simply because school is too hard and their parents, who perhaps never received schooling, are unable to help them.

This is why BMS began the PEPE project in Mozambique, to give children the head start they need to thrive. PEPE provides children with education through play, song and, in many cases, gives them their only meal that day. It’s run by local Baptist churches, by people like Elias, who know their communities’ needs and are filled with God’s love.

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A teacher teaching a child how to write numbers on a blackboard at a school in Mozambique.
Your giving is working to restore the PEPE schools damaged in Cyclone Idai.

Share the story of Mozambique with children at your Sunday School and join us in putting the building blocks of recovery together. Print off our information sheet and all-age craft activity.

Take me to the Sunday School activity

Words by Melanie Webb.

A letter from Mozambique

After the cyclone:

A letter from Mozambique to UK Christians

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How Mozambicans are regaining hope thanks to the incredible help they received from BMS supporters after Cyclone Idai.

Dear friends,

After the cyclone, I went out in the rain to see how people were. There was rubble everywhere. We lost everything – everything we had worked for over whole lifetimes. From one day to the next, it was gone. Our stores and crops were destroyed by the cyclone, so our immediate worry was food. But what’s affecting us most is a lack of hope. Smiles have disappeared, heads are hung low.

A building with rubble to the side of it after Cyclone Idai.
Cyclone Idai caused widespread destruction. You helped BMS respond to the disaster.

Thanks to the aid churches are sending to Beira, some feel like they have the strength to start again. At CBM, we have collected and distributed food. Those we could feed are no longer worried. Instead they can focus on gathering the materials they need to rebuild. The problem is that materials are expensive, and most people have lost their jobs because so many businesses were destroyed.

A church with no roof in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai.
This church lost its roof after the cyclone hit. But BMS supporters stepped in, and your gifts have enabled the roof to be rebuilt, so it can return to being a fully functioning church.

People aren’t sleeping. They want to get back up again. They want to work. I try to speak hope into people’s lives. We can lose material things, but we can’t lose faith in God. He is our refuge. We have so many reasons to praise God. I praised God amidst the destruction, because he had protected us – we thought the cyclone was going to be much bigger than it was.

This photo demonstrates how extensive the damage was after Cylcone Idai. Only a bare skeleton of a church building in Beira remains.
This photo demonstrates how extensive the damage was after Cylcone Idai. Only a bare skeleton of a church building in Beira remains.

I ask that you continue to pray for us – don’t forget about us and continue to give what you can.
Then, even when the media has forgotten about us, we’ll keep smiling, because you have remembered us.

Thank you,
Anibal Ramos

Anibal Ramos works with BMS partner, the Baptist Convention of Mozambique (CBM) in his native Beira. You’ve enabled him to play a crucial role in the relief efforts, working alongside BMS team leader in Mozambique, Carlos Tique Jone, in the devastating wake of Cyclone Idai.

The story of recovery

You gave an incredible £82,000 to help people like Anibal in the wake of Cyclone Idai.

But our desire for restoration didn’t stop there. You enabled BMS to give a further £17,600 to rebuild preschools and churches which host preschool education programmes.

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We were able to act because you gave generously. Give to BMS relief ministries today and help some of the most marginalised people in the world recover from devastating natural disasters.

Thank you for giving people in Beira the strength they need to start again.

First featured in Engage, Issue 45. Written and edited for the website by Melanie Webb.

Bangladesh Flood Relief: How you stepped in

Bangladesh flood relief:

How you stepped in

Rising waters decimated their villages. Family members and food supplies were taken by the flood. These are the stories of three people in rural Bangladesh slowly finding hope again. And you’re helping them to do so.

“I lost four members of my family in the flood. My wife, mother, daughter and son were drowned in the boat. They were trying to get to safety as the flood waters rose, but the boat capsized, and seven people were killed. I am the only one left alive. In the flood I lost my house. It collapsed in the flood waters and it is gone.”

This is how Karmjit’s* story begins. He’s just one of the people whose lives you protected this summer, after flood waters destroyed everything he held dear. Keep reading, and you’ll realise that his story is a devastating onslaught of grief, and loss – but one ending with hope. Hope because after flood waters destroyed the hopes and homes of over 800 people like Karmjit in rural Bangladesh, BMS supporters stepped in, providing emergency food, rations and pastoral support to those who had lost everything.

A Bangladeshi man holds a sack of rice on his head surrounded by a crowd of people.

“With the help of the relief I hope to live again, because Jesus Christ has sent you to me.”

This is how Karmjit’s story ends. He has hope because of your generous and faithful support. His is one of three stories we want to share of how the BMS Disaster Relief fund can transform lives after the worst happens. And these three testimonies are just some of the many stories we could tell, because with your support, BMS has been able to help over 800 people from the Sreemongal, Manikgonj and Shirajgonj communities in rural Bangladesh. Read the stories, and then imagine 800 more people receiving hope in despair. Know that your support really does save and change lives.

Gayan’s* Story

Men, women and children stand around sacks of food in Bangladesh.

“My name is Gayan from Sreemongal District. I am a simple tea garden worker and everything was destroyed by a landslide. I can’t do any work, so I don’t have food in my house. I am in starvation trouble with my wife, a boy and my daughter. By you giving this relief help we have regained our hope of survival. We are very poor and in many troubles. Pray for my family. I believe this way you will always be with us and pray for us.”

Puja’s* story

Men, women and children receive bags of rice and bottles of vegetables in Bangladesh.

“My name is Puja from Manikganj District. I am a sick woman. My whole body was burned in a fire. I can’t do anything. I am a disabled and helpless woman and my small house was flooded in the wild. Your help will help me to survive. With this meal God has helped me through you. Pray for me so that I can be fully healed.”

BMS World Mission’s Kwame Adzam recently visited Bangladesh to see the work your support has made possible.

Four men and a woman smile at the camera.

During my visit to Bangladesh, I had the privilege of meeting some of the BMS-supported workers supporting the people affected by these devasting floods. It was a privilege to visit them, pray with them and hear some of the amazing stories of people encountering God’s transforming love.
In one of the places where the items were distributed, a woman was found crying after she had received her gift. One of the workers asked her why she was crying, and she said, “We have been forgotten here in this village, we received no help from those we were expecting help from. But from unexpected people, we have received this help and now we feel loved and special. I am just overwhelmed by the love that we have received from you.”

The BMS Disaster Recovery fund allows local Christians and trusted partners to mobilise when disasters like these strike. Because of generous past giving from BMS supporters, a £5,000 grant was swiftly approved to provide emergency food packages for decimated villages. Led by the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS), the food packages were distributed from local church centres by pastors.

*Names changed.

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When disaster strikes, you can strike back. Give to the BMS Disaster Recovery fund today.

Words by Hannah Watson, Editor of Engage magazine.

When waters rise: food relief for flooded Bangladeshi villages

When waters rise:

food relief for flooded Bangladeshi villages

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News reports have suggested that Bangladesh is experiencing its worst flooding in years. BMS’ grant will provide emergency food relief for hundreds in need.

Thanks to the generous giving of BMS supporters, and the heart of Bangladeshi Christians who have mobilised to help those in need, an emergency BMS grant has been approved to sustain 200 families facing food insecurity due to flooding.

Bangladesh is reportedly experiencing its worst flooding in years, with tens of thousands of people having been displaced. Bangladesh’s monsoon season can often pose a flood risk to the low-lying country, where heavy rains see rivers swelling to dangerous levels. The erosion and bursting of riverbanks in recent weeks, coupled with adverse landslides, have left an estimated 4 million people at risk of “food insecurity and disease”.

Waters flooding market stalls with a man looking on in Bangladesh
Flood waters in Bangladesh in 2009 going up as high as the windows.

BMS has provided several grants for flood relief, including after flooding in 2007 and 2009, pictured here. While Bangladesh is known for its habitual flooding, more extreme flood events are a worrying trend.

The BMS Disaster Recovery fund allows local Christians and trusted partners to mobilise when disasters like these strike. Because of generous past giving from BMS supporters, a £5,000 grant was swiftly approved, allowing quick-thinking Bangladeshi Christians to jump into action.

The BMS grant will fund a programme of food distribution for 200 families from three different communities: the Sreemongal, Manikgonj and Shirajgonj communities. Led by the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS), the food packages will be distributed from local church centres by pastors. They contain rice, salt, dhal*, sugar, oil, chira* and waterproof matches, sustaining around 800 people for a week and a half – some of whom have not eaten in days.

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“The families come from varying religious backgrounds, but are known to the Bangladeshi churches which are distributing aid,” explain BMS workers Louise and Peter Lynch, who work closely with the BBCS. “There are pastors on the ground who can assess what needs to happen,” says Peter. “There are people without any food because they’ve got nothing left. But the BBCS can go out and get food for the programme, knowing support is backed up by BMS.”

The emergency kits contain:

30kg of rice and 2kg of salt

3kg of dhal* (a staple Bangladeshi dish made of lentils or other split pulses)

2kg of sugar, 5 litres of oil, 400g of chira* (a flat rice that is easy to prepare and digest)

and 6 packets of waterproof matches for 200 families

A man carrying a calf through flood waters in Bangladesh.
Two men wading through a flooded river in Bangladesh.

These concerning images have come from the Sreemongal, Manikgonj and Shirajgonj communities which the BBCS is now able to help.

If you’ve given to BMS’ Disaster Recovery fund, you’ve not only supported Bangladeshi families after dangerous floods. You’ve also provided vital psychosocial first aid to victims of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, shored up a hospital during hurricane season in Haiti, and much more. Thank you for all you’ve done.

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Christians believe in a God whose Son walked on water. So when floodwaters rise, we can trust in his power, goodness and might. Join us in praying for:

  • Bangladeshi communities in danger or at risk of disease because of flooding, that they would be kept safe.
  • Those who are hungry, that food would be provided. Pray especially for those receiving food through the BMS grant, that it would reach those who need it most.
  • Peter and Louise Lynch, the BBCS, and the pastors who have been able to help families after the floods. Give thanks for their generous hearts, and pray for wisdom and strength to know how to best help those in need.
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Words by Hannah Watson, Editor of Engage magazine.

Mozambique: The relief response begins

Mozambique:

The relief response begins

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The Cyclone Idai relief response has begun. But Beira still needs your prayers and support.

After our initial call for prayer and support, BMS World Mission supporters donated over £70,000 towards relief efforts in Mozambique. Thank you so much for your generosity. You’ve helped us kickstart the relief response in Beira. But the people there still need you.

The city of Beira still needs your support. Donate now.

“I have conveyed your prayers, support and encouragement to all those I’ve met from the CBM and they have been extremely grateful to know the world is standing with them,” says Rachel Conway-Doel, BMS Relief Facilitator. Rachel recently returned from Beira after flying out in March to help the Baptist Convention of Mozambique (CBM) assess the need created by the cyclone. 200,000 homes have been destroyed, and over 1,000 cases of cholera have now been reported, with at least two reported deaths. Cholera vaccination programmes have begun in Beira and other cities in Mozambique, with over 900,000 vaccines being shipped to Beira alone. Mosquito nets have also been provided to many people, including all our supported partner workers, to help combat a rise in malaria cases.

Destruction on a Beira street, with upturned trees and paving slabs
Your support is vital for the Cyclone Idai relief response.

The Cyclone Idai Relief Response

The long-term relief response in Beira will take the form of reconstruction of infrastructure, agricultural recovery and legal education support. As the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai shifts out of the media spotlight, we know you won’t forget about the people of Beira. Please continue to pray and give so people there can rebuild their lives.

“I have lived nearly 30 years in Beira and have never seen anything like this,” says BMS worker Carlos Tique Jone, who was in Beira when the cyclone struck. He and his family are safe, and he is working with CBM to help facilitate the Christian relief response. Watch the above video to hear a thank you message from Carlos, and see how your prayers are already having an effect.

Pray for Mozambique

We asked some of our supported partner workers in Beira what they wanted prayer for. Here’s what they said:

From Agira, Fernando and Lídia, who work with the Association of Christian Lawyers (AMAC) in Mozambique:

  1. Pray that their families will be protected from cholera and that the vaccination programme can reach everyone.
  2. Pray for Lídia’s house. Part of her roof and wall has been damaged and as she is both studying, working and living alone, this is hard. Pray for her and her house to be protected.
  3. Pray for the people AMAC serve – beforehand they were vulnerable people, and now they will be more vulnerable because of the cyclone.

From Constância, Elídia and Anibal, who work with Baptist Convention of Mozambique:

  1. Pray for the many mothers and widows whose homes are uninhabitable and who don’t know how to restore their lives.
  2. Pray for Mozambican churches, facing huge financial needs as they start to rebuild. So many churches have been affected, and so many members are in financial need themselves that rebuilding is going to be a massive challenge. Pray for all of the Christians struggling to rebuild their own lives while also helping their churches help others.
  3. Pray for jobs. Many companies have closed, so many people have lost their jobs. Pray for the Mozambican economy and its effect on ordinary people.

If you want more prayer points for your church, please visit our previous update: Pray for Beira.

Thank you for remembering Cyclone Idai survivors. Please keep praying for the relief response in Beira. And if you want to do even more, you can help our brothers and sisters in Mozambique by giving today to Disaster Recovery and Relief. Thank you.

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Words by Laura Durrant.