Dodma seeks K226bn to provide relief food

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) says it is seeking to raise $226 million (about K226 billion) to feed 4.4 million people who are at risk of hunger in this consumption year.

Speaking in Lilongwe on Wednesday during the handover of $500 000 (over K500 million) from King Salman Relief Centre of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support the implementation of Cyclone Freddy recovery interventions, Dodma Commissioner Charles Kalemba said they are striving to provide for the people and rebuild the infrastructures that were devastated by the cyclone.

He said: “According to our response plan, we need almost $226 million for us to be able to support 4.4 million [people] in the next six months starting from October 1 2023 to March 2024. So, this $500 000 will be used to meet the needs of these food insecure people.” 

Kalemba said Dodma is still supporting over 45 000 people who are in 20 camps following Cyclone Freddy displacement in the Southern Region.

He said: “We have moved from the response to early recovery. But we are also entering the rainy season response for the 2023/24 season. We have made progress in terms of relocating those who needed to relocate, and we are now finalising the process.”

Kalemba commended the King Salman Relief Centre of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the support and called on other partners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support the ‘Tigwirane Manja’ Operation to help the nation recover from Tropical Cyclone Freddy devastation.

During the donation handover, the King Salman Relief Centre Foundation representatives Abdulaziz Althumairi and Ibrahim Alhussain, who declined to speak to the media.

On March 12, 2023, Cyclone Freddy hit the Southern Region of Malawi leading to loss of lives, farm produce and crops. Animals were washed away by mudslides and floods and thousands of people were left homeless.

The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) report has estimated that 4.4 million Malawians are likely to face hunger in the 2023/24 consumption period, and that humanitarian food assistance of 219 023 metric tonnes of maize estimated at K167.55 billion will be needed to save livelihoods.

Out of the estimated population, 470 000 are from the four cities of Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu while 3.9 million are from rural areas across the country.