Malawi has received 11.7 tonnes of essential supplies from Norway to support children and families in education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation and early childhood development as the country prepares for El Niño conditions.
The supplies, delivered under the Fill A Plane initiative, a partnership between Unicef and Norwegian Air Shuttle, arrived on Tuesday through Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe.
However, the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Lilongwe handed over the consignment to the government on Wednesday.
The shipment includes resuscitation kits, cholera treatment kits, early childhood development kits, school bags, recreation kits, latrine slabs, foetal heart monitors and infant weighing scales. Some supplies, including water containers and water tanks, will be delivered later.
boxes as Campbell (2ndL) and Geir Karlsen (L) look on. | Unicef
Speaking during the handover, Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka said “the timely investment in the welfare and future of Malawian children” is critical as the potential impact of El Niño could disrupt essential services.
“The items will support us in improving education, in the safety of children, delivery of children, availability of water and sanitation, including safety during birth,” he said.
Malawi’s 2026/27 National El Niño Preparedness Plan warns that parts of Central and Southern Malawi could experience below-normal rainfall, prolonged dry spells and erratic rains and localised flooding.
These conditions could worsen existing pressures on food security, nutrition, safe water, health and education, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs warns.
Unicef Malawi representative Penelope Campbell said the supplies will benefit children, from newborn babies and those in early childhood centres to school-going and adolescent children.
“The supplies will help ensure the continuity of essential services in health centres, schools and communities. We will ensure they reach where they are most needed and are put to good use,” she said.
Norwegian Air Shuttle chief executive officer Geir Karlsen said the initiative was part of the airline’s partnership with Unicef.
For nearly 20 years, the initiative has delivered humanitarian supplies to Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Mali, Chad, Yemen and other countries.
Norwegian Ambassador Sophie Berland said the goods demonstrated the value of partnerships in responding to humanitarian needs and strengthening essential services.
“Behind those 11.7 tonnes is a much bigger story. It’s a story of people and institutions coming together, each contributing what they can to turn a shared commitment into practical support for children and families,” she said.
Unicef Norway executive director Maria Greenberg Bergheim added that the initiative involved significant logistical coordination, with supplies assembled through Unicef global supply hub in Copenhagen, Denmark.
