One year after the disastrous Cyclone Chido struck Mayotte on December 14th, 2024, Fondation de France remains fully committed to helping individuals and families rebuild, working alongside local organizations and community structures to address the serious ongoing needs.
Living conditions in Mayotte remain extremely difficult. Housing has been widely destroyed, agriculture severely weakened, supply chains disrupted, and frequent water outages persist, compounding the social and economic precarity already present before the storm.
After Chido, Fondation de France launched an appeal for donations that raised €44.4 million. Through Friends of Fondation de France, many generous U.S. donors answered the call for donations, contributing to support for 238 initiatives working across Mayotte.
Here is a look into some of the advances made possible by charitable donations.
Improving Access to Water and Strengthening Food Self-Sufficiency
Among the supported organizations, EUMA (Ensemble Unis et Mayotte Avancera) mobilised rapidly, distributing food and mattresses to the most vulnerable residents of Longoni, in the north of the island. The Federation of Kahani Associations, bringing together twelve local groups, has also organized food distributions for families in the village.
Fondation de France is supporting several initiatives aimed at improving access to water and enhancing food self-sufficiency. For example, Solidarités International is running a program in Mayotte’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods to ensure continuous access to safe drinking water by installing treatment units and storage tanks.
On Petite Terre, the organization Narendre has created a community garden maintained by young people from the neighbourhood, who receive training to care for it. A similar project in Chiconi, led by FMAPAR, brings together older residents and families to pass on agricultural know-how and cultivate local produce.
Planning for Sustainable Reconstruction
The scars of the cyclone remain highly visible—both in damaged housing and in degraded natural environments. Fondation de France is supporting projects combining shelter, housing rehabilitation and ecosystem restoration. It also sits on the Biodiversity Donors’ Committee, alongside the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), the Department for the Environment, Planning and Housing (DEAL), the Ecological Transition Agency (ADEME), the National Forestry Office (ONF), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Departmental Council, and the Albioma Foundation. This committee ensures close coordination among all those involved in environmental reconstruction.
In September 2025, Fondation de France—together with the Departmental Council of Mayotte, ONF, and the Directorate for the Economy, Employment, Labour and Solidarity (DEETS)—launched a call for expressions of interest to reopen damaged forest areas and trails. The aim: to clear natural spaces, protect them from fires, and prevent illegal exploitation.
40% of Housing Across the Archipelago Destroyed
Fondation de France is supporting several projects to rebuild homes and rehabilitate community spaces. In M’tsamboro, in northern Mayotte, Architectes de l’Urgence is assisting with the reconstruction of housing for around forty vulnerable families. Three organizations, Lieux Infinis, Le Pas de Côté, and Les Compagnons Bâtisseurs, have joined forces to rebuild four farés, or communal living spaces, in Mamoudzou and M’Tsangamouji. These are participatory projects involving residents and vocational school students, working with local authorities to support training in construction trades and raise awareness of cyclone- and earthquake-resilient building practices.
To encourage environmentally responsible reconstruction, the CAUE (Council for Architecture, Urbanism and the Environment) of Mayotte is producing a building guide to raise awareness among residents about best practices for resilient construction. Complementing this work, the organization Gepomay is preparing guidelines to help integrate biodiversity considerations into reconstruction projects.
Ensuring Access to Healthcare and Providing Psychological Support
Cyclone Chido has also severely impacted health facilities, which were already fragile before the disaster. Fondation de France is supporting initiatives that ensure fair access to healthcare while addressing post-disaster trauma.
The organization Opelia has deployed a mobile healthcare unit that travels across the island to reach isolated individuals and those far from existing services. The organization Horizon conducts outreach to provide prevention, awareness-raising and on-the-spot health assessments for people with limited access to medical care.
Given the significant psychological effects of the disaster, Fondation de France is supporting several organizations offering counselling, emotional support, and professional training. Terra Psy provides psychological support sessions in schools and villages—particularly for children—and offers guidance for families. It is also training mediators and professionals to strengthen trauma-informed care. Meanwhile, France Alzheimer is offering discussion groups and relaxation sessions for families, carers, and professionals.
Supporting Education and Reviving Cultural and Sporting Activities
Due to the lack of infrastructure and staff, teaching conditions remain especially challenging in Mayotte. Fondation de France supports organizations working on multiple fronts: distributing school kits, replacing sporting equipment, rehabilitating facilities, and offering educational, cultural and sports activities for both enrolled and out-of-school children.
With Fondation de France’s support, Nya Moja in Longoni has been able to continue operating its youth centre. At the start of the school year, the organization also distributed supplies to pupils facing hardship. The facilities of École Joie Liberté have been restored, enabling the organization to resume its tutoring and parental support programs. The Kaweni Secondary School Sports Association acquired new equipment so students could participate in outdoor activities—running, swimming in the lagoon, and more—despite the lack of suitable facilities. The dance organization Hip Hop Evolution has rebuilt its studio spaces, allowing dance training to resume and facilitating new workshops in schools, organizations and local neighbourhoods.
Reviving the Local Economy
The cyclone has had a devastating effect on Mayotte’s local economy, abruptly halting activity in many small businesses and worsening already precarious situations. Fondation de France is supporting initiatives that help revive agricultural and economic activity and encourage entrepreneurship.
In Kaweni, Wenka Culture has purchased new machinery to restart its carpentry workshop and continue training young people entering the workforce. Action Coup de Pouce is leading a reuse project that collects waste materials and transforms them into useful items—bags, clothing, and more—for families in severe hardship. The organization organizes clothing and material drives in Koungou, Kaweni and Tsingoni, followed by creative workshops involving nearly 200 families.
The Association for the Development of Beekeeping in Mayotte (ADAM) is helping to relaunch the beekeeping sector by clearing land, re-establishing melliferous plant species and reinstalling hives. Finally, the organizations Supernovae and Technopole de Mayotte are advancing local agri-food entrepreneurship by providing young people, women and farmers with equipment and technical training to process and add value to local produce.
Thank You for Your Support
We are deeply grateful to US based donors for their generosity. Those contributions have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of individuals and families in Mayotte, helping to provide food, water, shelter, healthcare, education, and opportunities for economic recovery. Thanks to these donations, we can strengthen Fondation de France’s work with local organizations in Mayotte that continue to rebuild communities, restore livelihoods, and create hope for a stronger, more resilient future.
Translated and adapted from French. Originally published by Fondation de France.
