Floods forced Zimbabwean women to leave their homes. They rebuilt their lives but here’s what they still need
Researchers studied the long-term impact of the 2017 Cyclone Dineo on women in Tsholotsho, Zimbabwe, focusing on displacement and resilience. The study highlights the ongoing needs of women who lost their homes and livelihoods to climate-related disasters.
Why it matters
It sheds light on the gendered impacts of climate change and the challenges of post-disaster recovery in rural communities.
Displaced women from Tsholotsho and women from the new host community get together to discuss the effects of Cyclone Dineo on their lives. Courtesy Thea Kirstine Synnestvedt https://theconversation.com/floods-forced-zimbabwean-women-to-leave-their-homes-they-rebuilt-their-lives-but-heres-what-they-still-need-285971 https://theconversation.com/floods-forced-zimbabwean-women-to-leave-their-homes-they-rebuilt-their-lives-but-heres-what-they-still-need-285971 Link copied Share article Share article
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Tsholotsho , in western Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland North province, is a remote rural district where families depend on small-scale farming in a harsh landscape marked by recurring droughts and seasonal floods.
In 2017, Cyclone Dineo hit southern Africa, killing more than 250 people in Zimbabwe and several in Mozambique, destroying over 20,000 homes and sparking floods in Botswana and a wave of cholera cases in Mozambique and Malawi.
In Tsholotsho, the cyclone caused the area’s Gwayi River to burst its banks, washing away homes, fields and belongings. Around 300 households were forced to relocate to a neighbouring area.
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