We need tents—chief
Group village head (GVH) Chiphwembwe from Senior Chief Malemia in Nsanje District has asked authorities to speed up the distribution of tents to evacuation camps.
His call comes after National Shelter and Camp Coordination and Management last week announced plans to distribute tents in camps to enable people leave schools where they sought refuge following the destruction of their homes by floods caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy.
Speaking on Saturday when African Bible College former students donated food and non-food items worth K4.5 million, Chiphwembwe said they were sleeping in grass-made shelters.
“We left Dinde Primary School where we were initially accommodated to pave the way for classes to resume. We came here and erected these grass shelters but we often get soaked when it rains,” he said.
However, Chiphwembwe thanked the former students for the donation, saying they last received relief on March 25 when Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Jean Sendeza visited the camp.
African Bible College alumni treasurer Yamikani Chikoti said they were shocked to see the conditions in which the survivors were living at the camp.
“We contributed K2.5 million and our colleagues from the African Bible College Academy supported us with clothes and shoes worth K2 million,” she said.
The items included maize flour, cooking oil, soap, sugar, soya corn flour, reusable pads, assorted clothes, salt, matches, plastic pails, soya pieces, bonya and shoes.
Nsanje District Council disaster risk management officer Patrick Sipuni appealed for more support.
He said the cyclone affected 145 000 people and there are 88 camps in the district.
Dinde Camp has 610 households representing 2 440 people.
National Shelter and Camp Coordination and Management co-chairperson Shadreck Bulukutu Chirwa, who is also chief housing officer in the Department of Housing in the Ministry of Lands, said last week that with the support from International Organisation for Migration and Malawi Red Cross Society, they will distribute tents in 10 districts.
