Humanitarian

On 12^th February 2015, a delegation of donors, INGO partners, the UN, private sector and other development partners attended a Learning Event in Mchinji on the MVAC Emergency Cash Transfer response which is funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Irish Aid and Save the Children Italy.  The event was co-hosted by INGO partners Concern Worldwide and Save the Childrenat the Kamwendo Model School in Traditional Authority (TA) Kamwendo, Mchinji District.

The nation of Malawi, through several avenues and stakeholders continue to harness integrated recovery means for the survival of Malawians who have been affected by the recent devastating floods. According to government records, 230,000 people have been displaced in 15 of Malawi’s 28 districts. Zomba is among the country’s districts that were affected. Wreaking havoc – the scale of the disaster has seen villages run-down, crops swept away and livestock drowned.

From the onset, it appeared to be a somber day as we approached the village of Kathebwe, in Traditional Authority (TA) Mwambo, Zomba District. The sky was covered in a blanket of uniform clouds that occasionally gave the sun some shine. Out in the distance were fields of crops laid with isolated beds of water – some even forming streams and interconnected water systems. In the trenches, between rows of crops were still waters that resembled an irrigation scheme, but were really remnants of the flowing waters that had recently washed crops away.

In Malawi, the New Year has begun on a celebratory note for some – and on a more insecure one for others. Since the beginning of January, heavy rains have hit the Southern districts of Malawi, which have caused devastating floods in 15 of the countries districts (Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe, Zomba, Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje, Balaka, Machinga, Mangochi, Ntcheu, Salima, Rumphi and Karonga) – some being worst affected than others.

Meet Margret Stande. She’s a compilation of women I’ve met in Machinga district, rural Malawi – all facing dire circumstances and looking to Village Savings and Loans (VSL) for help.

Margret is aged 35 and has four children. She and her husband Stephano are subsistence farmers, just like the majority here, and harvest their crop of maize and Nandolo (cow peas) once a year. What they don’t eat, they sell. The proceeds must last for the next 12 months.