Lukewarm response to Malawi floods appeal

Malawi’s appeal for assistance over flooding managed to raise slightly over $2 million out of the $65 million that the government said was needed for the victims of the massive rains that hit the country early this month.

On January 14, 2015 President Peter Mutharika declared Malawi a disaster zone following the floods that left over 200 people dead or missing and 120,000 displaced.

However, office of the Vice President, recently announced that the country has collected up to K1billion kwacha ($2million) of pledges made towards the national disaster.

The office of the Vice President also announced that the country has received 86 metric tons of maize, 190 metric tons of maize flour, 304 metric tons of beans, 305 metric tons of rice, 300 bags of peas, 10 tons each of instant porridge and Likuni Phala and 800 kilogrammess of sugar.

In the UNICEF status report of January 26, 2015 across the affected areas, 2,216 family survival kits have been distributed, which contain blankets, mosquito nets, plastic sheets, cooking equipment and water containers, in addition 2400 cartons of therapeutic food have been distributed through the district nutrition offices, to reach 2,810 children.

“In Nsanje, the district worst hit by the flooding, the distribution of 600 Emergency Survival Kits and almost 300 buckets and taps was completed. All eight health facilities in the District were provided with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and 1300 intravenous fluids’.