A school without a roof after Cyclone Dikeledi means that formal education stops, leaving thousands of children without shelter, resources, or a path forward. Rebuilding the future requires a shift toward resilient community support, technology, and economic stability that protects students even when physical structures are lost.
221 Schools
Cyclone Dikeledi destroyed 221 schools in Nampula province in January 2025. Each one had hundreds of children. Each one was a community's hope for the future. Each one is now rubble.
What a School Without a Roof Means
A school without a roof is not a school. When it rains, the classroom floods. When the sun is hot, there is no shade. When the wind blows, there is no shelter. Children sit on the ground, under the open sky, trying to learn. The teacher tries to teach over the sound of rain and wind. The books get wet. The chalkboard is exposed to the elements.
Eventually, the teacher stops coming. The children stop coming. The school becomes a memory. A school without a roof is the end of education for a community.
What No School Means for a Child
When a school is destroyed and not rebuilt: education stops (sometimes for months, sometimes forever), routine is lost (children lose the structure that school provides), safety is lost (school is a safe space for many children), nutrition is lost (many schools provide the only meal a child gets each day), and hope is lost (without school, there is no path forward).
For girls, the impact is worse: without school, girls are more likely to be married off early; without education, girls have fewer choices and less power; without school, the cycle of poverty continues into the next generation.
The Long Shadow
The impact of 221 destroyed schools will last for years: children who miss a year of education may never catch up, children who drop out are unlikely to return, a generation of children in Nampula will have less education than their parents, and the economic impact of lost education lasts a lifetime (20% lower earnings per year of schooling lost).
221 schools destroyed. Tens of thousands of futures interrupted. In one night.
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Smallholder Farmers and the School Season
For a smallholder farmer in Zambezia, the loss of school infrastructure during a cyclone impacts the entire agricultural season. When families have stable income—supported by tools like the 13 courses on education—they are better equipped to navigate crises. MBC works with the COJAZ cooperative to support farmers, ensuring that even when climate disasters strike, income stability helps families cover school fees and keep children on a path to learning.
What Rebuilds Faster Than Schools
Schools take years to rebuild. But resilience can be built now: mobile money insurance payouts, digital education resources like the 13 courses that reach children through mobile phones, cooperative support through groups like COJAZ, and income stability for farming families.
Related guide: Climate-smart agriculture in Mozambique: 6 technologies helping farmers beat drought, floods and cyclones
Frequently asked questions
What happens when a school loses its roof? When a school loses its roof, the learning environment is destroyed, making it impossible for children to continue their studies during adverse weather.
Why is the economic impact of lost schooling significant? Lost schooling results in a permanent loss of future earnings, estimated at 20% lower lifetime earnings for every year of education missed.
How do climate events affect girls differently? Girls are disproportionately affected because they are more likely to be married early and lose their opportunity for formal education when schools are destroyed.
We can't rebuild 221 schools. But we can ensure the children who lost them don't lose their future too. Maputo Bridge Capital, founded by Anselmo Boaventura, connects sponsors with verified smallholder farmers in Mozambique. You can sponsor a farmer from $25 at /sponsor-a-farmer-mozambique. Sponsorships are gifts, not investments, and are not tax-deductible; 92% goes to the farmer's local seed and fertilizer shop, while 8% covers verification and documentation.