Malawi Red Cross Society has disbursed cash to 530 households in traditional authorities (T/As) Kaduya and Kaledzera in Phalombe District to help them mitigate the effects of Cyclone Jude.
The cyclone affected the Southern Region and parts of the Central Region this week.
The organisation is implementing the initiative under a project dubbed Enabling Effective Disaster Risk Management through Systems of Interagency Anticipatory Action (Drimiaa).
Speaking during a pay parade yesterday, Red Cross Phalombe district coordinator Yamikani Munthali said the organisation transferred K70 000 to each beneficiary household to help them cope with the effects of various disasters, including Cyclone Jude.
She urged the beneficiaries to use the money for the intended purpose.
Said Munthali: “We believe that these beneficiaries will use the money to prepare themselves during this Cyclone Jude and it will help them during the evacuation period.
“We are also ready to support people of Phalombe during and after this period and we will reach out to everyone who may be affected.”
An 83-year-old beneficiary Modester Halapera from Halapera Village, T/A Kaduya, said she will use the money to buy maize.
She said: “The support has come at the right time as most of us have no food in our homes. I will use the money to buy food and support my grandchildren.”
Another beneficiary Thomas Chitseko, 63, commended Red Cross for the initiative, saying it is a good gesture to most households.
Red Cross is implementing Drimiaa with support from the Danish Red Cross and the European Union Humanitarian Aid.
The project, which will end in September 2025, targets people with disabilities, the elderly and women and men who face challenges resulting from disasters.
