Giving Compass' Take:

• Joe McCarthy, writing for Global Citizen, lists four ways to help the victims of cyclone Idai that impacted hundreds of people in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. 

• What are some critical philanthropic partnerships that can help disaster relief efforts? 

• Read the Giving Compass Disaster Relief and Recovery Magazine. 

Cyclone Idai bombarded the coast of Southern Africa on Mar. 14 with powerful winds and rains, destroying whole cities and unleashing the worst floods seen in the region in over 20 years.

More than 700 people have died from the storm, and millions of people are estimated to have been affected in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Heavy rains, collapsing dams, and overflowing rivers have created an “inland ocean” in central Mozambique, where thousands of people remain stranded.

Aid organizations will be on the ground for the next several months and even years working to address the damage and help people recover. Governments around the world are beginning to chip in, including the United Kingdom, which has committed 12 million Euros to the relief effort.

Here are four things you can do to help the victims of Cyclone Idai:

  1. Donate to organizations on the ground.  In order to send more people to the area, perform rescue missions, provide supplies to millions of people, and get situated for the long-haul, these groups need funding.
  2. Learn more about the disaster.  In the days and weeks ahead, become better informed about the cyclone by following the news coverage and reading articles and watching videos on Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.
  3. Check back in. Although the cyclone hit last week, coverage of the event only ramped up in recent days, and there’s concern that international interest in the crisis will wane in the days and weeks ahead.
  4.  Donate to groups fighting poverty.  Cyclone Idai exposed a lot of long-standing structural problems in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

Read the full article about helping victims of cyclone Idai by Joe McCarthy at Global Citizen.