Cyclone victims’ path to recovery

For eight months, 43-year-old Esmie Malizani from Mchenga Village in Traditional Authority (T/A) Phweremwe in Phalombe District has been sleeping in discomfort in a temporary grass shelter.

Cyclone Freddy, which made a landfall on southern Malawi on March 12 2023, is the source of her misery. Hundreds others also affected by the storm share her pain.

As tears rolled down her cheeks, the single mother of one told Nation on Sunday on Tuesday that the ordeal  still traumatises her.

She said: “I vividly remember stones running over houses and people screaming.”

Malizani said living in the temporary grass shelter gives her an unsettling feeling, especially considering that she lives with a two-year-old daughter.

But on Tuesday, Malizani received an early Christmas gift in form of keys to a solar-powered house comprising a bedroom, storeroom and living room.

She has now started life in a new community where 45 solar-powered houses have been built. The community also has a chief to lead them.

Dozy Village is named after Dozy Mmobuosi, who through former presidents Joyce Banda and Bakili Muluzi, provided funds the housing project.

The former presidents are goodwill ambassadors of the Cyclone Freddy recovery initiative. The houses were built by the Malawi Red Cross Society.

The new village is two kilometres from the old one, which is hid in stones and debris.

Walking through the old village, one can hardly believe it was once occupied. The dusty road leading to the old and new villages is filled with stones, making it hard for vehicles to navigate their way through and this is what village head Dozy wants the government to look into.

He said: “Much as we have this new community and that people are now properly housed, fixing the road would be important to ease transport challenges.”

Similar sentiments were also echoed by Mary Katundu, a cyclone survivor.

She said: “If the road is fixed then we will be able to easily move to Migowi to either sell our produce or buy some basic commodities.”

The cyclone survivors are also expected to receive social cash transfers of K150 000 to cushion them during the lean season, which is above the World Bank’s $2.15 poverty threshold, revised in September 2022.

At the current exchange rate, K150 000 is equal to $89.02.

Katundu expects to use the money as a start-up capital for a small-scale business.

Unlike in Phalombe where the new houses have been built in one place; the situation in Zomba Chisi in T/A Mwambo is different as the houses are scattered. About 30 houses have been built in the area.

The idea was to construct a house a few metres away from the fallen one if there was space.

A resident Edna Govati said the houses are a huge relief considering that the rainy season is inbound.

“I have been living in a tent since March and now the house gives me relief to start rebuilding my life,” said the single mother of three children.

Malawi Red Cross Society head of health and social services Dan Kapombosola Banda said 88 houses have been built out of the target of 145.

On his part, Minister of Lands Deus Gumba, who officially handed over the houses, said the government will continue supporting the survivors through various initiatives so that they can rebuild their lives.

In the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy, President Lazarus Chakwera approached Muluzi and Banda to help in his Tigwirane Manja initiative that seeks to garner support towards the cyclone victims.

Since then, the two former presidents have been seeking support from various well-wishers to support the victims.

Cyclone Freddy triggered mudslides, floods and heavy rains which destroyed various infrastructures, killed 676 people and injured 2 171 others.

While 537 people are still considered missing, the cyclone also displaced 659 278 people.