World Vision Strengthen Community Disaster Risk Reduction capacity amid the super El Niño impact forecast in Southern Africa
World Vision is strengthening community resilience through integrated Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) approaches in response to the growing frequency and intensity of climate-related shocks, including the super El Niño forecast. With this approach, World Vision seeks to reduce the vulnerability of households before, during, and after extreme weather events by supporting community preparedness, promoting climate-resilient agricultural practices, diversifying livelihoods, and strengthening local response capacities.
The Mozambique National Institute of Meteorology (INAM) warned recently of a high probability that Mozambique will be affected by a strong El Niño event during the 2026/2027 rainy season. According to the institute, global climate models indicate a strong likelihood that the phenomenon will develop and persist into the latter half of the season.
INAM forecasts that El Niño will significantly influence rainfall patterns and temperatures across the country, with varying impacts from one region to another. While some areas may experience heavy rainfall and flooding, others are likely to face prolonged dry spells. In southern and central Mozambique, forecasts indicate below-average and erratic rainfall, coupled with above-average temperatures, conditions that could intensify drought, reduce water availability, and undermine agricultural production.
World Vision Mozambique responded recently to the impacts of an El Nino phenomenon that dragged 2.2 million people to acute hunger in 2024. The organization implemented interventions that enabled many families to continue producing food despite the challenging conditions brought about by El Niño-induced droughts. At the same time, the organisation has invested in sustainable water access solutions. In response to increasing water scarcity, new boreholes and water supply systems have been constructed, including sand abstraction systems, helping to provide a safer and more reliable water supply for thousands of people through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes.
Preparedness is implemented alongside recovery projects
These preparedness interventions take place alongside recovery projects for more than 80 000 people affected by devastating floods that struck communities across Gaza Province and other parts of Mozambique in January 2026, after floods causing widespread damage to homes, farmland, and sources of income.
Funded by multiple donors, recovery assistances implemented in the districts of Guijá and Mabalane in Gaza province, where World Vision implements its programmes, the recovery assistance is given in the form of food, shelter kits, agriculture inputs, and child protection, helping families once displaced rebuild resilience.
Although the floodwaters receded long ago and the submerged fields have since dried out, the impact of the disaster remains deeply etched in the lives of families who depend on agriculture for their survival. The floods destroyed crops, washed away productive assets and left thousands struggling to secure their next meal. For these families, recovery means far more than planting seeds again; it means rebuilding their lives and restoring hope.
Yet, as many communities continue to recover from the effects of the floods, a new threat is emerging. Climate forecasts now point to the opposite extreme: a severe drought that could further deepen the vulnerability of households already struggling to recover from recent shocks.