News / Bristol Charity
Call for aid as Bristol’s twin city hit by major cyclone
Cyclone Idai caused mass devastation in Beira, a twin city of Bristol, just after midnight on March 15, when winds of up to 109mph and mass flooding left 90 per cent of the city destroyed. The city is located on the coast of Mozambique in eastern Africa.
In response, local charity Bristol Link with Beira has launched a fundraiser campaign to aid those in need of help, appealing for donations that will support the city in its long road to recovery.
The category two storm hit land near Beira and continued a route inland towards Zimbabwe and Malawi, leaving thousands trapped and villages submerged in its wake.
is needed now More than ever
Many people’s homes are submerged under water due to the cyclone hit
On March 24, Mozambique’s minister of Land and Environment, Celso Correia, confirmed that 446 people have been reported dead, although the number is predicted to be more likely around 1,000.
Since signing a friendship agreement with Beria in 1990, Bristol has been working with the city through educational programmes, cultural events and development work.
Local schools Luckwell Primary, St Bernadette’s Primary, Clifton High School and Colston Primary have sister schools in Beira and have spent years engaging together through exchanges and projects to better understand their respective cultures.
Bristol Link with Beira have raised £8,000 and has been supported by the Global Parliament of Mayors, but the goal is to raise £25,000 so they can help the people of Beira both now and into the future.
“We are there for the long-term,” explains Alix Hughes, a member of the charity’s board of trustees. “When the world press and media is gone, we’ll still be there, helping to rebuild the city and working with the local communities.”
Large numbers of people in the city of Beira have been stranded without proper food, water or shelter since the storm, waiting for rescue on top of what remains of the buildings and trees. Thousands are seeking refuge in accommodation centres, set up primarily in schools and public buildings.
Originally cut off due to the high levels of water and debris, the main road to the city reopened in Beira on Sunday, March 24, to deliver food, clean water and other supplies to those in need.
In an interview with the Bristol Link with Beira, Daviz Simango, the mayor of the twin city, says his team are working on the ground to deliver supplies, citing food, water, sanitation and zinc roofing as his key priorities.
“Beira is totally devastated,” he says. “We will have to begin again.”
Joint projects and development programmes link Bristol with communities in its twin city Beira
In collaboration with their partners in the city, Daviz Simango and backed by the Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees, Bristol Link with Beira plan to use the funds raised to create a strategy to help rebuild the city, sending representatives to Beira to assist in the aftermath and assess exactly how their strategy can help with recovery before implementing it.
Bristol Link with Beira is raising funds to help in the long-term recovery of the city
If you wish to donate, please visit www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/beira-cyclone-crisis-and-sustainability-campaign
Photos from BLB – Bristol Link with Beira Facebook Page.
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