The Department of Disaster Management Affairs in collaboration with the University of Malawi - UNIMA's Centre for Language Studies and Sightsavers held a working session on Language and Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Early Warning (EW) Messaging from 29th to 31st July, 2024 in Salima District.

The Sightsavers-funded session, which drew together participants with expertise in language, disability affairs, media, translation, human rights, special needs and civic education, among others; validated and discussed how best DRM and EW messages can be inclusively packaged and disseminated to vulnerable communities, including women, the elderly and people with various disabilities.

The session is a brainchild of corroborative efforts by officers from DoDMA (Public Relations), UNIMA (Centre for Language Studies) and Belgium’s KU Leuven University who developed a proposal on Multilingual and Disability Inclusive Communication and caught the attention of Sightsavers.

DoDMA’s Public Relations Section captured some highlights of the session.

A quick Google search shows that physically, they are almost 5,000 km (by flight) away from the motherland; but a kind heart knows no distance.

Malawians living in Qatar (Malawi-Qatar Community) have donated K2.5 million towards the national El-Nino Response Appeal aimed at providing humanitarian assistance to food insecure people.

In a brief WhatsApp message, one of the members of the group Masambuka Sanudi said the gesture is a response to President Dr Lazarus Chakwera's call for support in reaching out to affected families.

"The Malawi Ambassador to Qatar; Roy Kachale Banda also made a call for support and we felt duty bound to hold a fundraising event to assist our brothers and sisters as they are facing El-Nino induced challenges," said Sanudi.