Private school raises K6m for cyclone survivors

Students and staff of Lilongwe Private School have raised K6 million to buy assorted items to donate to Tropical Cyclone Freddy survivors in the Southern Region.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday, the school’s principal Shaheena Tariq said as an institution operating in the country, they decided to complement government’s efforts in helping survivors get back to their feet.

“At Lilongwe Private Academy, we do not only offer academic studies, but also teach our students charity. To demonstrate what we teach them, we encouraged them and their teachers to contribute something towards helping the cyclone survivors,” said Tariq.

She said they will hand over the items to the survivors themselves to appreciate the damage the cyclone has caused in their respective areas.

Speaking on behalf of the students, Kabeer Suleman said they wanted to show their solidarity with the survivors in their darkest moment.

“At Lilongwe Private School, we learn to love one another; hence, the donation,” he said.

The items include cooking oil, sugar, maize flour, salt, matches and soap.

Department of Disaster Management Affairs commissioner Charles Kalemba said last week that the death toll had risen to 676 while those injured were 2 171. He said that 537 people were still missing.

Since President Lazarus Chakwera declared a State of Disaster three weeks ago, different individuals, groups, organisations and institutions have made donations to survivors.

However, some people are returning home three weeks after the disaster struck.