“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2
After a period of drought, heavy rains fell in southern Africa with disastrous impact. MWC member churches in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have been affected.
“Though the floods caused hardship, the church has remained a source of hope and compassion. We deeply appreciate Mennonite World Conference for remembering Mennonite Brethren Church in Malawi – and Malawi as a country – in prayer and solidarity,” said Bishop Shadreck Kwendanyama, Mennonite Brethren Church of Malawi (MBCM).
Floods affect churches
At the end of March, heavy rainfalls in Malawi caused catastrophic flooding. National authorities reported more than two dozen deaths and 29 000 households affected.
Mud-brick homes were susceptible to the rains. Crops which hadn’t withered in the drought were submerged or washed away in the floods. Schooling was on hold from the disruption of damaged houses, lost property and washed-out roads.
Some 400 households of MBCM church members in the central region of Malawi
were flooded.
In Mchinji District, 101 families camped at the school building for three weeks until
classes resumed. The waters destroyed 17 hectares of maize, ground nuts (peanuts), sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes and cassava gardens.
In Dowa District, the location of Dzaleka refugee camp, 63 mud houses of folks related to Mkulera church were ruined by the rains.
Salima and Nkhotakota Districts each saw a dozen hectares of crops and more than 30 houses destroyed.
Contaminated water sources increased the risk of cholera but the church community
assisted with chlorine water treatment and cleaning wells and water points. Church leaders spread hygiene awareness, handwashing promotion and assisted health workers with disease prevention education.
Bishop Shadreck Kwendanyama reports that local congregations shared food to
displaced families. Church members helped rebuild damaged homes. Youth assisted
elderly and vulnerable households. Congregations prayed together and supported affected families.
Brethren in Christ
The Brethren in Christ church communities in Chikwawa, Phalombe, Zomba, and
Makanjira (Mangochi) in Malawi were also severely affected.
“We received distressing reports from our pastors and leaders; homes washed away, families displaced, crops destroyed and many left without food or shelter,” said Rev. Francis Kamoto, bishop, Brethren in Christ Church (BICC) Malawi, based in Blantyre.
“The situation is dire. As a church, we are doing all we can to respond, but the scale of this disaster is beyond our local capacity. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, members of the same body we share together,” he says.
Mozambique
In Mozambique, 11 BIC churches were destroyed in Sofala province. Flooding also affected Maputo, Gaza, Inhambane and Tete provinces. In three locations, only the church building was destroyed. For the other nine, flood water damaged homes and fields.
The communities retreated to higher ground when the waters rose and there was no loss of life.
Church leader Mubecane Filipe Manharage reports that relief funds have come from the government.
Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, in Mtshabezi, the region with the longest Anabaptist presence, flood water breached a dam in March 2026, causing serious flooding and damage and/or destruction of property.
The dam provides the source of water for the Brethren in Christ Church complex: a high
school with around 1 000 boarders, a primary school with around 600 day school
students and a farm.
This was the second flooding disaster to affect the church community. In December, floodwaters rose again, completely cutting off towns and causing power outages at schools and hospitals.
“Prayer support from international brothers and sisters and encouragement messages from partner churches demonstrates the body of Christ in action,” says Bishop Shadreck
Kwendanyama. “‘If one member suffers, all suffer together’ (1 Corinthians 12:26),” he says.