One month after cyclone ravages Malawi, UN humanitarians issue urgent appeal for aid
An aerial view shows houses which were damaged in Muloza on the border with Mozambique after Tropical Cyclone Freddy, around 100 km outside Blantyre, Malawi.
UN humanitarians issued an urgent plea on Friday to redouble support for Malawi, which is still reeling from Tropical Cyclone Freddy's strike last month.
"Our 71-million-US dollar flash appeal for the flood response in Malawi is just 11 percent funded," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
It said 60 UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations have supported the government-led response, including in hard-to-reach areas. As of Wednesday, the World Food Programme airlifted more than 189 metric tons of food and 300 kilograms of food used to treat malnutrition.
"We're also providing emergency shelter, health care, hygiene services, and water and sanitation facilities," OCHA said. "This is especially critical in light of the ongoing cholera outbreak in Malawi."
Schools are to re-open next week. The UN Children's Find is working with the government and UN partners to support children who lost everything due to the storm, said the humanitarian office.
In mid-March, Freddy roared into Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, lashing it with rains, and triggering deadly flooding and mudslides. Published reports later in the month said the death toll in Malawi was more than 300.
