Sir, - I am writing this on the seventh floor of a block of flats on the outskirts of Maputo, rented by GOAL for its aid workers. My two hour flight from Harare a few days ago gave me a panoramic view of the devastation caused by the worst flooding to hit the country since 1951.
To date there are 500 people dead, including some very young children washed away in the floods, and a further 850,000 people have lost their homes. Why is it always the poorest of the poor, the most vulnerable in our world of plenty, that are hit the hardest by both natural disasters and political decisions driven by man's greed?
Mozambique is a very beautiful country, nine times the size of Ireland with the longest coastline in Africa, miles and miles of beautiful beaches on the Indian Ocean and a population of some 18 million.
On the UN Human Development Index of 174 countries, Ireland is no 16 against Mozambique no 169 (the 6th poorest). Life expectancy here is 45 years. In Ireland, it is 76 years. GNP per capita is US$140 against Ireland's US$17,790.
Areas such as health, education and infrastructure are so bad they are almost beyond description. All the problems have always been here but were exacerbated by continuous war between the early 1960s and 1992. In common with many other poor countries, its struggle to service a foreign debt of $7.1 billion simply cannot be won.
The reason for my trip was to see first-hand GOAL's operation in Maputo and to visit its many projects - particularly the street children's programmes in education. I was most impressed with what I saw. Unfortunately all of this good work is overshadowed (but still of course continuing) by the crippling floods of the past two weeks.
What I saw today was horrific and I never want to see it again. I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw two-storey houses buried in mud. I was actually able to sit on the roof of a house with my feet on the ground. What a nightmare for these poor unfortunate people all of whom lost their homes and don't know how, where or when they will be relocated. I saw roads and bridges washed away and craters not unlike the Grand Canyon. It's all very, very sad.
I have such admiration for the young men and women aid workers who give up years of their young lives to help their fellow, less fortunate, human beings in developing countries like Mozambique, India, Sudan, etc. These very special people channel their energies through the well structured aid and development agencies such as GOAL, Concern, UNICEF, etc. It is also great to see how well they co-operate on the ground. Over the past few days GOAL and Concern workers were exchanging information and generally helping each other to the best of their ability. They will get their reward.
The greatest killer in all these developing countries is indifference, but thankfully this is changing slowly as the world media gives huge coverage to natural disasters and the inevitable misery that follows. - Yours, etc.,
Noel Skinner, Santry, Dublin 9.