Flooding in Mozambique Poses Growing Deadly Threat to Children as Cyclone Season Begins

Mozambique is one of the youngest countries in the world, with more than 17 million children under the age of 18 and an average population age of just 17 years.

Severe flooding across Mozambique is rapidly escalating into a major humanitarian emergency, with children facing heightened risks from unsafe water, disease outbreaks, and worsening malnutrition, UNICEF has warned.

Exceptionally heavy rainfall during the first weeks of January has caused widespread destruction, damaging homes, schools, health centres, roads and water systems across large parts of the country. With Mozambique now entering its annual cyclone season, humanitarian agencies fear a compounding crisis, placing the most vulnerable communities — especially children — at extreme risk.

Hundreds of Thousands Affected, Many Forced to Flee

According to preliminary government data, more than 513,000 people have been affected by the floods, over half of them children. At least 50,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and are now sheltering in 62 temporary accommodation centres, many of which are overcrowded and lack adequate basic services.

In the worst-affected areas, access to clean water, healthcare, nutrition and education is either unsafe or severely disrupted.

“In such conditions, children face higher risks of disease, interrupted learning, and serious protection risks — particularly girls and adolescents,” UNICEF said.

Disease and Malnutrition Creating a Lethal Combination

UNICEF warned that the convergence of flooding, unsafe water and food shortages is creating a deadly environment for children.

Even before the floods, nearly four in every ten children in Mozambique were experiencing chronic malnutrition. The current crisis has further disrupted food supplies, health services and care practices, threatening to push already vulnerable children into acute and severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous and life-threatening forms.

“Waterborne diseases and malnutrition are a lethal combination,” UNICEF said, warning that preventable deaths could rise sharply without urgent intervention.

UNICEF and Partners Responding on the Ground

Working alongside the Government of Mozambique and humanitarian partners, UNICEF has begun scaling up its emergency response.

In Gaza Province, one of the hardest-hit regions, UNICEF is supporting needs assessments and the distribution of essential supplies to affected children and families. Efforts are also underway to restore critical services, including:

• Safe water, sanitation and hygiene

• Health services

• Education

• Child protection

Further north, in Sofala Province, UNICEF has delivered water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to the four most affected districts, enabling treatment of contaminated water at both community and household levels. These efforts have already reached at least 13,000 households.

Situation Expected to Worsen

Despite ongoing response efforts, UNICEF warned that the threat to children is continuing to grow.

With river basins above alert levels, heavy rains persisting in several regions, and the cyclone season just beginning, the number of affected families and children is expected to rise in the coming weeks.

At the same time, damaged roads and infrastructure are increasingly hampering access to affected communities, complicating relief operations.

Urgent Need for Timely Support

UNICEF stressed that rapid funding and logistical support are critical to prevent further deterioration.

“Timely support allows UNICEF and partners to scale up safe water, nutrition, health, education and child protection services before conditions worsen,” the organisation said.

“We can prevent disease, deaths, and irreversible losses to scores of children. But we need to act fast.”

A Country of Children at Risk

Mozambique is one of the youngest countries in the world, with more than 17 million children under the age of 18 and an average population age of just 17 years.

When floods strike — as they have repeatedly in recent years — children suffer the most, both in the immediate aftermath and in the months or years that follow.

“For children in Mozambique, what happens in the coming days will determine not only how many survive this emergency, but how many can recover, return to school, and rebuild their futures,” UNICEF said.