Southern Mozambique has been severely affected by heavy rains that have lasted for over a week, significantly increasing the flow of the Limpopo River and causing flooding in several areas of Gaza Province. The government has declared a national red alert and called on people in areas at risk to move to safer areas.

Historically, the country has been hit by major flooding events, notably in 2000 and 2013. The 2000 floods were considered among the most severe in Mozambique in recent decades, resulting in around 700 to 800 deaths and leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced or homeless, with vast areas of agricultural land destroyed and a severe impact on the local economy. The 2013 floods also had significant effects in Gaza, with extensive flooding in Chókwè and Xai-Xai and the displacement of thousands of residents. It was in the wake of the famine that struck in 2013 that Um Pequeno Gesto launched its first School Feeding project.

Prolonged flooding events such as these not only affect access to water and housing; they also bring with them increased risks of waterborne diseases (such as diarrhoea and cholera), difficulties in accessing health services, loss of livelihoods, and situations of insecurity and theft, especially when families are isolated or displaced.