Malawi Women in Diaspora Network reaches out to displaced Phalombe women with dignity packs

Offering words of encouragement

* Plans are underway to distribute up to 1,000 Abwenzi Dignity kits and other items to various camps in southern Malawi

* We are still receiving monetary donations through our Go Fund Me page, https://gofund.me/e556f956

* As Blantyre District Council decommissioned 65 of 92 camps which started from March 27

By Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express & Memory Chatonda, MANA

Malawi Women in Diaspora Network has honoured its pledge to assist survivors of the Cyclone Freddy-induced floods by distributing their first 200 dignity kits on Saturday at Mapale camp in Phalombe — a primary school is housing displaced people.

Dubbed ‘Abwenzi Dignity Bucket’, the kit consists of feminine sanitary products such as reusable and disposable sanitary pads, soap and underwear in a plastic bucket — which each costing K10,000.

The donation to Mapale camp was worth K2 million, whose distribution was carried out by local Network representatives that included Mai Elder Tamula (Zambezi Evangelical Church), Jamia M’manga (Assemblies of God Church) and Pastor Nenani Kumbukani (International Pentecostal Church) — led by Fiskani Sikwese.

A statement from the Network says plans are underway to distribute up to 1,000 Abwenzi Dignity kits and other items to various camps in southern Malawi.

“We are still receiving monetary donations through our Go Fund Me page, https://gofund.me/e556f956. Those willing to participate in the drive are encouraged to contact these coordinators:

* Edith Parker (UK, 44 793 135 3737);

* Wezi Munthali-Gibson (Ireland, +353 83 314 9821); and

* Naomi Msusa (Namibia, +264 81 288 9312).

The Malawi Diaspora Network also responded to Malawi’s needs at the peak of the CoVID-19 pandemic, that included rural district civic education programme of the disease in partnership with NBS Bank and Malawi’s Society of Medical Doctors.

Meanwhile, Blantyre has decommissioned 65 of 92 camps which started from March 27, said the District Council’s disaster risk management officer, Cosmas Mangoka.

“Some of the displaced people have been integrated into their communities while others, have been moved to major camps such as Soche Secondary School, which currently accommodates 243 households, Bangwe Youth Centre (275), Lunzu Community Hall (168), Malabada (273) and Chilingani (228).”

He added that it was important to undertake the exercise to allow the affected households to recover and return to normal life while at the same time appealing to different partners to continue supporting the displaced people in camps with food and non-food items such as water, sanitation and hygiene, including dignity kits.

Malawi Red Cross Society’s operations manager responsible for emergency appeal, Blessings Mlowoka said they are continuing to complement Blantyre District Council’s efforts to ensure that displaced people live a better life.

He said since the onset of Cyclone Freddy-induced disaster, the Society has supported the district to mount family tents, conduct rapid assessments, selecting legitimate camp committees, providing take home packages to IDPs and also disinfecting and decommissioning of camps especially those that were in schools.

“Additionally, volunteers were also providing health talks, psychosocial first aid and also restoring family links services in camps,” he said.

On Monday, a high-powered delegation of the African Union (AU) Commission visited areas affected by Freddy in Blantyre where they offered words of hope, saying: “You are not alone, you can rely on the solidarity of the AU.”

A report on the Facebook page of the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) said the delegation was led by Commissioner for health, humanitarian affairs & social development, Minata Samate Cessouma, who visited Chilobwe, where mudslides washed away over 40 houses.

The delegation then proceeded to visit displaced families at Soche Hill Secondary School camp where Cessouma offered words of hope and encouragement — stressing that Malawi is not walking alone in the valley of Cyclone Freddy’s devastation.

“You are not alone — we are with you in this,” she is quoted as saying. “There is a difficulty at hand and we need an African solution to the African problem.

“We will do our best to mobilise the member states and partners to support Malawi in building back better. We also need to work together in addressing climate-related catastrophes,” she said Cessouma.

Accompanying the delegation was DoDMA’s Director of disaster preparedness & response, Rev. Moses Chimphepo, who said the visit signifies AUC’s solidarity to Malawi and also “an opportunity for the country to learn from the delegation’s assessment and observation since they have also come with a team comprising disaster risk management experts”.

DoDMA also reported that the AU recently indicated that they were working on making a donation of US$500,000 towards the disaster’s response interventions.