The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the implementation of programmes aimed at building communities’ resilience to disasters.

Speaking on Wednesday in Mangochi District when various disaster risk management (DRM) stakeholders monitored the implementation of the National Resilience Strategy (NRS) under the USAID-funded Titukulane Project, DoDMA’s Director of Disaster Risk Reduction, Dyce Nkhoma, said it was high time projects targeted building the resilience of the most vulnerable communities.

“Let us think of and engage the most common person in project development and implementation. As technocrats, we need to ensure that the laid-out plans are in tandem with building resilience of communities to disasters. As a department, we will always support every effort towards building communities and the nation’s resilience,” said Nkhoma.

He then described the interventions under the project, which included, among others; capacity building in juice production, provision of early warning materials to communities, capacity building of village natural resources management and civil protection committees and provision of agricultural loans to farmers; as impressive but called on stakeholders to fast-track implementation.

In his remarks, USAID Titukulane Project Chief of Party Daniel Abbott said the project is committed to ensuring that communities can build their resilience while engaging in a number of activities.

“We have been working very well with the district government, in terms of planning and implementation, as Titukulane, we really want to support Mangochi and Zomba to become an example of what the National Resilience Strategy is meant to look like at district level and use that to inform the replication at the national level.

“The project is coming to the mid-point and we have seen some really good results in terms of implementation on the ground for instance watershed management interventions to restore watersheds and reduce disaster risks.

“While we are seeing these successes, we have also noted that we need to go further. Communities have put in place plans and need some additional support to ensure impact. We need to intensify the work to ensure that the impact we have observed can be broadly felt across the project,” said Abbot.

USAID Titukulane is a five-year project which started in 2019 and aims at providing sustainable, equitable and resilient food and nutrition security for ultra-poor and chronically vulnerable households in Mangochi and Zomba Districts.

Among others, the US$75 million Project, which is being implemented by CARE Malawi in collaboration with Emmanuel International, International Food Policy Research Institute, Save the Children, Water Aid and National Smallholder Farmers Association of Malawi, supports the implementation of the NRS.

The NRS is a12-year strategy led by DoDMA and aims at breaking the cycle of food and nutrition insecurity in the country by bridging development and humanitarian interventions and prioritizing a continuum of more predictable livelihood support that target vulnerable households.

An MRCS Cash distribution exercise under its Emergency Appeal program, of over MK430million targeting over 5000 families in Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe and Salima, who were affected by the January Tropical Cyclone Ana has been launched at an event which took place on Tuesday at Bereu School grounds in Chikwawa.

Malawi Red Cross Society is providing the cash assistance with support from International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Danish Red Cross and its partners.

Speaking during the Launch, MRCS Director of Programs Prisca Chisala indicated the society continues to remember those that were affected, on their way to recover and rebuild their lives.

“We know that thousands of households continue to feel the aftermath of the Tropical cyclone Ana, and continue to experience challenges as a result of losing property, some lost loved ones who were their source of income, hence our cash response to ensure that you are still surviving, on top of the other items we have donated in the last 7 months”said Chisala

On his part Deputy Director of Recovery at the Department of Disaster Management Affairs – DODMA- Peter Lackson Chimangeni commended MRCS for its strategic response which continue to bail out thousands of households in all heavily affected districts.

“As DODMA, we always applaud MRCS for its timely responses to affected households, that after donating a number of shelter items and Hygiene kits to thousands of households for the past months, it continues to respond with cash, “said Chimangeni

Chimangeni added that government through DODMA we will continue working with MRCS during disasters, as one key partner.

Traditional Authority Maseya said the cash assistance will continue to bring a sigh of relief to the households.

“During that time a lot of organizations came to support us and we do appreciate, but MRCS has been outstanding as it continue to help us, making sure we recover well from that shock, thank you so much MRCS and I'm asking other organizations to emulate MRCS’s example of remembering the affected households, months after the Tropical cylone Anna occurred”

In the whole exercise MRCS is disbursing cash ranging from K40,000 to K104,000 per household to households in the four districts.

Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company in partnership with Alliance One on Thursday (28 July) donated learning materials to pupils affected by Tropical Storm Ana at Mikundi Primary School, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mduwa in Mchinji District.

The school is among those whose roof tops were blown off due to Tropical Storm Ana-induced incessant rains and winds.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, Limbe Leaf representative, Leah Hez said the gesture is part of their social responsibility.

“We were informed that the school was among those that were affected by Tropical Storm Ana hence our donation today. We hope that the donation will help learners to realize their dreams,” said Hez.

In her remarks; the District Education Manager for Mchinji, Nelly Kamtedza thanked the two companies for the assistance.

“When Ana hit us some months ago, we were at a loss. We knew that schools and learners would take time to recover.

“A big thank you to Limbe Leaf and Alliance One for this will go a long way in touching lives of many, not just the learners but even the surrounding communities as it lessens the burden of recovering from the disaster,” said Kamtedza.

Kamtedza then appealed to other companies to borrow a leaf from the two entities.

“The school needs rehabilitation; some school blocks are in bad shape due to the effects of the storm. Rehabilitation of the school blocks will go a long way in reducing congestion in classrooms,” she said.

District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (RRO) for Mchinji Violet Jimu also commended Limbe Leaf and Alliance One for the gesture.

The donated learning materials included; school bags, exercise books, pens, and pencils. Mikundi Primary School has 2,335 learners.

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) on Thursday (28th July, 2022) handed over a K329 million worth Chimwala-Mbangu Irrigation Scheme to communities in Senior Chief Malemia, Nsanje District, with a call for disaster risk management (DRM) stakeholders to focus on project implementation other than theory.

Speaking when he presided over the handover ceremony of the scheme, which was constructed under the Post Cyclone Idai Emergency Recovery and Resilience Project, (PCIREP) with funding from the African Development Bank (ADB), Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs, Charles Kalemba, reiterated the need to break the food insecurity cycle, through meaningful and tangible projects.

“The lower shire has the potential to be the food basket for the country. With effects of climate change at their peak, it is a gamble to rely on rain-fed agriculture. We need to embrace irrigation farming.

“This is the time for action and implementation. As a people, we have wasted time on meetings, workshops and research. We have had enough of these. We have had a number of stakeholders implementing projects whose impact is yet to be seen.

“Let us also deal with corrupt practices at all levels, including project implementation. Such malpractices derail socio-economic development,” said Kalemba.

He then called upon the communities to jealously guard and make full use of the irrigation scheme, saying it has the potential to turn around their lives for the better.

In her remarks, Nsanje District Council Chairperson, Rose Makiyi, said with proper coordination and tailor-made projects, communities can be food secure and self-reliant.

“The construction and handing over of the scheme is a path in the right direction. We are not beggars; neither do we intend to keep relying on handouts. We are geared to make good use of this development for a food secure Nsanje,” said Makiyi.

Chairperson of Chimwala-Mbangu Irrigation Scheme, Givemore Zambasa, said currently, 433 farmers have utilized 50 out of 200 hectares earmarked to benefit 812 farming families.

“This is a flood-prone area and the scheme provides a conducive environment for farming activities. Our crops end up being washed away by floods during the rainy season. This is our path to food security at household and community level,” said Zambasa.

PCIREP aims at restoring and improving sustainable livelihoods, enhance disaster risk reduction and early warning preparedness, support inclusive socio-economic recovery empowerment and enhance post recovery adaptive capacity for people who were affected by Cyclone Idai.

The cyclone, which hit the country in March 2019, affected 975,000 people; left 87,000 displaced, 60 dead and 672 injured.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) have established a Humanitarian Staging Area (HSA) hub at Bangula in Nsanje to fast truck coordination and response to disasters in the Lower Shire.

DoDMA says the establishment of the HSA will help humanitarian partners to coordinate, respond effectively and timely manage disasters as they occur.

Speaking after the launch of the hub over the weekend at Bangula, Nsanje; Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs Charles Kalemba said this is one of the great milestones that WFP and DoDMA have undertaken as it will help to preposition commodities that will be required in case there is a disaster in the Lower Shire.

Kalemba said the facility will help to stock commodities and equipment that are essential during disasters.

“You may recall that during Tropical Storm Ana and Cyclone Gombe, it was difficult for us and other humanitarian partners to serve the affected families as the roads were cut off. This facility is an answer to such kind of challenges.”

“We have already prepositioned food and non-food items such as maize, rescuing boats and shelter materials so that response to disasters in Chikwawa and Nsanje should not be as difficult as it has been.

Kalemba added that the hub will also be used as a training centre for humanitarian activities.

He hailed WFP for the commitment and urged other stakeholders to follow suit in financing such facilities and make good use of them.

In her remarks, WFP Acting Country Director, Patrizia Papinutti hailed the collaboration between WFP and DoDMA in ensuring that the project is undertaken as planned.

She stated that having centers like the one in Bangula will improve humanitarian work in Malawi and enhance coordination amongst stakeholders.

“The project is crucial as it will enhance coordination during disasters and that it will bring together all clusters and organizations in preparedness towards disaster management.”

“It was discovered that coordination is always a challenge during disasters and this development comes to address that,” she said.

Malawi Red Cross Society’s Acting Response and Recovery Specialist Mercy Chalimba, concurred with Kalemba and Papinutti saying the hub is a huge milestone in coordination of disaster response as stakeholders implement humanitarian support.

She said stakeholders have been faced with mobility challenges when disasters occur and that the establishment of the hub will enable timely response in serving lives of the affected.

“We welcome this development as it will help all humanitarian partners to reach the affected places in good time,” said Chalimba.

Kalemba said such facilities are planned for Blantyre in the upper south, Lilongwe or Ntcheu in the centre, Mzuzu and Karonga in the north and Mangochi in the eastern region.

The Government of Mozambique on Friday (22nd July, 2022) started repatriating its citizens who were displaced by Tropical Storm Ana-induced floods and sought shelter in Malawi in January, 2022.

Speaking in Nsanje District as he saw off citizens who left today by bus and boat to Mourrambala District which borders Nsanje, Mozambican High Commissioner to Malawi Elias Zimba said the repatriation will be completed within seven days.

“We have already set 2,300 plots and built some shelters for their return. We have also prepared some return packages which they will all receive upon arrival,” said Zimba.

He commended the Malawi Government for hosting the displaced Mozambican citizens.

“The Malawi Government welcomed and hosted our citizens even though, they too, were constrained and did not have enough means. We will never forget this gesture. This is a spirit of brotherhood. Tropical Storm Ana was so devastating but the positive part of it all is that it brought Malawians and Mozambicans together. We are one people and therefore, the spirit of brotherhood should prevail amongst us in all spheres of our lives” he said.

In his remarks, Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs Charles Kalemba said the Malawi Government will provide all necessary support to ensure that the displaced Mozambicans get back home smoothly and rebuild their lives.

“The disaster brought life to a standstill for the displaced people. It is high time they went back and rebuild their lives.

“Let me commend the two countries for collaborating in assisting those that were affected by the disaster. Mozambique provided relief items that assisted not only its citizens, but also Malawians,” said Kalemba.

A total of 1,617 households (approximately 8,085 people) who remained in Malawi are expected to be repatriated by 29th July.