Portland contributes K11m cement for cyclone victims’ houses
Portland Cement Limited has contributed 600 bags of cement worth over K11 million towards the construction of houses for Cyclone Freddy victims in the area of Traditional Authority Njema in Mulanje district.
Speaking at the construction site in Mujima Village on Tuesday, the company’s head of marketing and corporate affairs Violet Vilili said they thought of supporting the project under Habitat for Humanity Malawi after noting the need for the victims to have decent homes.
“Many people lost their houses due to the devastating effects of the cyclone and we felt obliged to contribute cement, which is an essential building material, towards this project,” she said.
While appreciating Portland’s contribution, Habitat for Humanity Malawi national director Victor Chambayika Mhango urged other corporate partners to support the project, which is an effort to help villagers recover from the devastating Cyclone Freddy effects.
He said, currently, they need at least K700 million to complete the K1.2 billion project, which targets the construction of 96 two-bedroom and three-bedroom houses for the victims.
“Currently, we are constructing 37 of the houses and we are grateful to Portland and other partners such as Habitat for Humanity International, Habitat for Humanity Ireland and FDH Bank,” Mhango said.
“However, we need more funds to erect the remaining 59 houses and we hope other corporate partners will come in with more support to complete the project.”
Cyclone Freddy hit many districts in the Southern Region of Malawi including Mulanje in March last year, causing devastation including loss of lives, houses and livestock.
