MALAWI: Episcopal Conference of Malawi Appeals for Concerted Response to Cyclone ANA Disaster
Fr. Joan Rocky CSSp & Fr Andrew Kaufa SMM
The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has issued a statement of appeal to humanitarian agencies people of good will in support of Malawi government following the devastating impact of Cyclone ANA which has left many parts in the southern and central region affected by floods that have left many people homeless, with their livestock, property and farms destroyed.
In a statement issued by the then President of ECM, Most Rev. Thomas Msusa, on January 27, 2022, the Conference sympathizes with the people all the people that have been affected.
“According to preliminary the report, Cyclone ANA has mainly affected districts in the southern and central regions as follows: Mulanje, Thyolo. Phalombe, Chiradzulu, Chikwawa, Nsanje Balaka, Zomba, Mangochi, Mwanza, Neno, Ntcheu, Dedza, Lilongwe, Salima and Mchinji,” reads the statement adding, “As a Conference of Bishops, we are deeply concerned as an institution which works mainly with the rural communities and that the most affected are the poor Malawians, some of whom were already struggling to meets the basic needs due to the prevailing socio-economic hardships in the country.”
“We commend, His Excellency Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, the President of the Republic of Malawi for quickly declaring this a national disaster in his Press Release dated 26th January 2022. We hope and pray that that this declaration will pour in a lot of good will and support from our donor partners thereby treating disaster seriously and as a matter of urgency,” continues Most Rev. Msusa who is the Archbishop of Blantyre.
Similarly, the Director for Social Directorate under the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Rev Fr. Ted Chigamba, has appealed for more concerted efforts in responding to the impact of Cyclone ANA that has ravaged several districts in the Southern Part of Malawi.
“The recent heavy downpour has indeed wreaked havoc and rendered many people destitute. The tales of the affected people in the two camps we visited are quite paralyzing. Urgently, we have to attend to the immediate needs of the people and these include food, water, clothes and items for sanitation. At the same time, we also have to address the long-term adversities within sectors of education and social welfare, just to mention a few. Therefore, looking at this precarious situation we, the non-state actors, need to collaborate in order to address all these afflictions,” said Fr. Chigamba.
The visit was organized by ECM through CADECOM to appreciate the damage caused by the disaster for possible interventions. It certainly conjured images of despair with many houses tossed to the ground and fields of crops swept away. A visit to Bereu Police camp which is accommodating about 230 people revealed that the victims do not even have food for the next day.
It also appears that the storm had a heavy blow on education with many schools in the affected areas yet to reopen for classes. Headteacher for Nasanja primary school, Mr. Gerald Malunga, has cast doubt over immediate resumption of classes.
“We are trying our best to resume normal classes, but many of our learning materials including text books and chalk were washed away. The walls of the classrooms are also at the risk of collapsing. Even the learners lost their exercise books in their homes,” said Mr. Malunga.
CADECOM National Coordinator, Chimwemwe Sekunda hence called on government to expedite its post disaster recovery programs in order to achieve a quick restoration of normalcy. She has also appealed to all people of good will to make donations through the commission.
Echoing the need for concerted efforts, Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace National Coordinator, Boniface Chibwana added that issues of human Rights also ought to be given a birds’ eye attention.
“Where we have a disaster of this magnitude, issues of rights violations are very common. For example, in the camps we have visited there are young girls who are currently not attending classes and lacking basic needs. Our worry is that some people may want to take advantage of their situation and entice them. Eventually issues of early marriages and pregnancies may crop in these camps”
Chibwana has hence challenged other non-state actors to visit the affected camps and appreciate the situation and eventually collaborate after setting right priorities.
The cyclone ANA hailstorm has displaced over 25 thousand households and damaged over a thousand hectares of crop fields in Chikwawa. To this date, 13 people are confirmed dead while 19 are still missing.
