Chinansi in disaster recovery programme in Phalombe
After spending an estimated K80 million in emergency response project in Phalombe, Centre for Human Rights and Institute for National Social Initiative (Chinansi) Foundation, is set to embark on a recovery programme to normalise lives of people affected by floods and hail storm in Phalombe early this year.
Chinansi Foundation executive director, Simplex Chithyola, said they have so far assisted 2000 households, reaching out to nearly 7899 people, with non-food items (NFI) and they are currently mobilising funds for a drought recovery programme.
Chithyola said after the floods, Chinansi mobilised a campaign to buy materials such as pots, buckets, insect treated nets (ITNs), plates, cups, solar lanterns, pails, cook stoves and plastic sheets.
“We also provided water treatment chemicals such as water guard and chlorine apart from conducting awareness campaigns on emergency mitigation and community resilience,” Chithyola said.
He said the initiative covered 12 camps that sheltered flood victims such as Namasoka,
Khanaja, Loche, Mushiwa, Ming’ambo, Ufa, Phalombe RC Primary, Nasiyaya, Milepe, Chipalanje, Utwa and Dzenje.
Julia Zinga, from Katamula Village T/A Nkhumba, is one of the people who was hit by the disaster.
“My house was completely destroyed whilst we were asleep. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. And in my area nobody will harvest more than two bags of maize,” Zinga said.
He said government has opened an ad-hoc Admarc market at Namasoka, but people were struggling to buy maize.
According to GVH Namasoka, the aftermath of the floods has perpetuated poverty. He said those people who are leaving the camps, are likely to face acute hunger because they did not harvest anything.
“What is needed is for government and NGOs to distribute relief items because people don’t have money,” GVH Namasoka said.
Tony Matoga, Chinansi Foundation Project Officer in Phalombe Emergency Response’ Project, said after a thorough assessment of the situation in Phalombe, they were mobilising resources for a recovery programme.
“We are developing a recovery plan to utilise abundant rivers for an intensive irrigation project so that these people have some food,” Matoga said.
He said Chinansi, with funding from ECHO, an emergency arm of European Union and Christian Aid, has rehabilitated 12 boreholes, constructed 90 toilets in the camps and schools and trained 60 health and hygiene workers.
Christian Aid country manager, Pansi Katenga, said they responded to the call for relief items to Phalombe and Chikhwawa through local partners such as Chinansi Foundation and Evangelical Association of Malawi.
“Through partners like Chinansi we have managed to reach out to over 110, 000 people in Chikhwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe, Mulanje and Machinga with non food items,” Katenga said.
She said over 500 000 British Pounds Sterling has been spent on the project so far.
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