Tropical Storm Freddy took aim at southern Malawi on 13th March, making landfall for a second time! The southern part of the country is now in crisis and has declared a state of disaster.
Over 200 people have lost their lives, thousands are now displaced, floodwaters and mudslides have taken homes, hospitals are overwhelmed, water is contaminated and power and vital infrastructure have been lost.
The reality of a storm hitting what is already a very poor region, with limited resources, is quite different from what we experience at home. For us, wind and rain are little more than an inconvenience. In Malawi, it's a very different story. Many of the brick and mud houses have been destroyed or swept away by the floodwaters, leaving people without shelter, food or clean water.
Hope4Malawi trustees Mark and Sara Goodman were working in Malawi when the storm hit, so are already on the ground providing much-needed support.
Sara says: This storm has deeply affected our partnership communities in the area where Hope Secondary and its feeder primary schools are located. Sadly, our librarian at Hope has lost 8 family members."
Immediately following the storm, Sara and Mark went with Jeremiah Jumbe, a local councillor, to Naotcha Primary school, located near a major mudslide. Some 700 people were there who had lost their homes, and many had also lost family members.
It was heartbreaking to see a room full of children who didn't know where their parents were, says Mark. We tried to give them hope and prayed together, but it was very difficult."
Having assessed what was most needed, Hope4Malawi provided pots, plates and other supplies. Even in such adversity, everyone was so grateful.
Other NGOs and the government are also providing resources for that community.
Hope4Malawi will provide Phala porridge for the communities around Hope and Chipwepwete schools. Steven, the head of Hope school, and other teachers living on-site have agreed to assess houses in the community to determine the damage. Hope4Malawi will then provide thick plastic sheeting so that families can protect their homes and move back. It is hard to rebuild houses until the rains have stopped.
Schools in southern Malawi are now closed until Monday. Steven said: "This is the third week we've missed teaching this term, as we lost two weeks during the cholera pandemic. It affects our students who struggle to work at home because of the conditions they live in.
"One Hope student had cholera last week, contracted from a dirty water source. We are praying that water sources don't become contaminated after the heavy rains."
Immediate funding is needed to help supply essentials:
--- Maize flour and additional Phala
--- Food storage packs
--- Black plastic to protect houses
Hope4Malawi will also use additional funds to enable Hope Secondary students to catch up with their studies in the holidays and will provide additional learning and teaching resources for Hope and its feeder schools.
The scale of the problem is overwhelming as there is much to do, and so many people who need help. Every little will mean a lot, so thank you for whatever you can do to help and support Malawi at this time of such great need.
You can also donate directly to Hope4Malawi: Caf Bank, 40-52-40, Account: 0002288. Donations can be gift aided. Please email Hope4Malawi .
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