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World Economic Congress (WEC), a church-driven global socio-economic mandate, recently completed a series of missions to bring household relief water filters, chlorine tablets, community chlorine makers, and portable solar lanterns to over 2,000 families affected by Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani, Chipinge and Chikomba districts of Zimbabwe.

With the support of its generous partners, Operation Blessing International (OBI), WEC was able to promptly dispatch an emergency team to the most affected areas in the three districts a few days after the cyclone.

Chimanimani and Chipinge districts in Manicaland province were the hardest hit areas by Cyclone Idai with over 300 entire households washed away and/or missing at Kopa business centre alone. This was when the once peaceful Nyahode and Rusitu rivers burst their banks, carrying with them shoulder high mud and huge boulders flattening houses, churches and office buildings in their path.

According to data received from WASH committees in the districts an estimated 5,000 families were left with destroyed water wells and contaminated water sources putting them at a very high risk of contracting diarrhoeal diseases and malaria. Cyclone Idai, which came during challenging times for the Southern Africa region as it grapples with an El Nino induced drought, washed away bridges, roads, electricity power lines, houses, livestock and crops that were due to be harvested.

Mrs Makura, who is the local community leader’s wife and one of the beneficiaries of the intervention at Sadza Business Centre in Chikomba East District, spoke to the WEC team. She expressed her joy and relief, and urged the team to continue the good work they were doing in the community.

In an interview with Edith Mpandaguta, WEC’s relief and social development team leader, she said “Before we had the chlorine some of the parents in the community would come to us when their children fall sick from untreated water. From the time Mr Ziwenga (Zimbabwe National Water Authority – ZINWA official at Sadza Business Centre) began treating our wells with chlorine we haven’t had diarrheal diseases or vomiting as before.”

At Sadza Hospital and ZINWA offices the WEC team received good reports of how the community chlorine makers given to the two institutions were greatly helping the community. Through this intervention the officials at the two institutions were able to treat water for two local churches during their annual Easter conferences. The gathered churches were estimated to be at least 15,000 congregants each. In addition reported diarrheal disease cases had subsided from twenty in a day in March 2019 the time when the cyclone occurred to nearly zero cases per week.

Much work still needs to be done though, beyond water emergency relief there are water wells, houses and livelihoods that were destroyed which need to be rebuilt. Contact WEC’s relief and social development team via email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call landline number +263 8644 121914 to see how you can lend your support to the people of the affected districts.