The Catholic University of Malawi, in conjunction with Trocaire-Malawi, has donated to the victims of one of the hardest-hit villages by Cyclone Freddy in Malawi’s Chiradzulu district.
Speaking after the donation on Saturday last week, University Registrar for the Catholic University of Malawi Francis Vincent Nkhoma said the university called for donations from staff members, students, and people of good will.
“We have provided blankets, basins, plates, pots, learning materials for school-going children, and other items that these victims are to use,” said Nkhoma.
Nkhoma explained that students, staff members, and well-wishers, together with Trocaire-Malawi, supported the call by donating in kind and financially.
He added that the university will still mobilize resources to be provided to other victims of the cyclone in other parts of the country.
Over 30 people are reported to have been killed while others sustained injuries due to cyclone Freddy, which hit the country two weeks ago at Ntauchira village.
Reports by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) in Malawi indicate that 15 councils, namely: Balaka, Blantyre City, Blantyre District, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Phalombe, Thyolo, Zomba City, and Zomba District, have been affected in the country’s southern region.
As of Monday, March 20th, 2023, the number of displaced people was 508,244, with 534 camps set up to accommodate the displaced nationwide. The death toll has risen from 476 to 499, with 1,332 injuries. The number of reported missing persons is now 427, up from 349.
Meanwhile, rescue operations are underway to recover the bodies of people covered by the mudslides.