Market Assessment in Bandua, Inanjou and Buzi in Mozambique

This report presents the outcome of an assessment in three markets following the impact of cyclone Idai.
Tropical cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique on 14 March 2019 causing a huge damage to human lives and the physical properties. The official death toll remained at 603 people and the number of houses destroyed or damaged were 239,731. The number of school-age children affected by the crisis has risen to at least 305,728. A total of 10,542 children (6-59 months) have been screened for severely acute malnutrition . Similarly, the cyclone also damaged at least 715,378 hectares of agricultural land affecting 500,000 producing families. The World Bank estimated that this damaged is equivalent to 13 percent of total agricultural land in the country and that the agricultural losses are between $141 million and $258 million
Needs assessments undertaken by different agencies showed food, shelter, health and WASH being the priority needs in the area. Other needs also include rehabilitation of school facilities, education kits, agriculture seeds and protection.
There is a growing recognition of cash and vouchers across humanitarian sector that can support people affected by disasters in a way that maintain human dignity, provide access to the assistance in more efficient manner and help people to rebuild or protect livelihoods. Plan International Mozambique has prepared its Response Plan with an aim of assisting the cyclone affected population acknowledging cash and voucher being a preferred modality of support should the other factors remain favourable. In order to understand its scope further, Plan International Mozambique conducted market assessments at Bandua, Inanjou and Buzi in the affected areas in due coordination with Cash Working Group.

The humanitarian actors particularly who aim to work on Cash and Voucher Assistance were in continuous advocacy with the Government of Mozambique to approve cash as a modality of response under their emergency response framework. Despite such efforts, the Council of Ministers (CoM) has recently decided not to approve thus making voucher only a possible response option under the broader scope of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA).