SOS Children's Villages Malawi donates K30M relief items to Cyclone Freddy victims

Blantyre, Malawi - In response to the devastating impact of Cyclone Freddy that hit Malawi in March, SOS Children's Villages Malawi has donated and distributed relief items worth K30 million to victims and survivors in Chileka T/A Kunthembwe in Blantyre, writes Sumeya Issa.

Thousands of Malawians were left homeless and without access to reliable sources of food and shelter as a result of the cyclone, particularly in the southern region, including Kunthembwe in Chileka.

Henry Kamowa, a father of five, described how heavy rains destroyed his home, leaving his family without adequate shelter or food.

However, thanks to the relief items distributed by SOS Children's Villages Malawi, Kamowa and at least 200 families in Kunthembwe will be able to alleviate their suffering.

Kamowa expressed his gratitude towards the organization and said, "We are relieved to see that they remembered us during this difficult time. We are also seeing some items like notebooks and some writing materials that will help our children return to school comfortably. We could not have managed to source such resources on our own, so we are extremely grateful to SOS Children's Villages Malawi for the kindness they are showing us."

SOS Children's Villages Malawi's Strengthening Programmes Coordinator for the southern region, Alexander Nguwo, explained that the relief items intervention is part of their organization's mission to ensure that children in Malawi have access to essential services.

"Our core responsibility as SOS is to ensure that children in Malawi have access to essential services and are responsive to diverse issues that surround them. By providing these relief items, we are assured that through the progress of caregivers, children will also be cared for, hence our response today," said Nguwo.

Maria Jamali, a 28-year-old mother from Kunthembwe, also lost her home as a result of the March cyclone's heavy rains.

She currently lives in an unfinished house with no windows or doors but must pay rent because the house does not belong to her.

"After my house was destroyed during the cyclone," said Jamali, "I was forced to move into a rented house that has no doors nor windows. It is even more complicated because I have to share the house with another family. Our struggle is mainly with food as it is not always accessible. I do piece jobs to find the money for food. The cyclone has left my family and me helpless and desperate," narrates Jamali.

Beyond her many struggles influenced by the cyclone, Jamali is extremely happy with the intervention that is currently taking place in her community because she is confident she and her family will have food for days to come.

"Government and DoDMA cannot support all the affected victims and households around Malawi; hence, we are always pleased to see organizations coming forward to offer assistance in times like these," said Cosmas Mangoka, Disaster Risk Management Officer for Blantyre district council, on behalf of government and DoDMA.

"We rely upon the help of partners like SOS Children's Villages Malawi and other partners as well. I would encourage other organizations and well-wishers to keep coming forward. As government, we are mainly looking at the internally displaced people (IDPs), while the coming in of the SOS intervention is looking at all affected individuals as there are no camps in Kumthembwe. So we are very pleased with that specific approach."

Soya pieces, cooking oil, hand wash, water guard, maize flour, and water buckets are among the items distributed by SOS Children's Villages Malawi in Kunthembwe, Blantyre.

Recognising the needs of local schoolchildren, the organisation also donated school supplies such as notebooks, pencils, and pens.