The Government of the People’s Republic of China on Wednesday donated 6 025 metric tonnes of rice and $300 000 (equivalent to K216 million) to people affected by floods in the country.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Chinese Ambassador Liu Hongyang said it is disheartening that a lot of families in the country are not living normal lives following the disaster.
He assured the Government of Malawi of continued support from China.
“As you are aware, this is not the first time we are helping our brothers and sisters who have been affected by the floods in Malawi.
“We have been there since the country was declared a state of disaster on 8 March 2019,” he said.
Minister of Home Affairs and International Cooperation Emmanuel Fabiano, who received the donation on behalf of government, commended China for responding swiftly to the country’s appeal for humanitarian assistance.
He said: “We strongly believe that both the food aid and additional relief assistance will significantly contribute to alleviation of the plight of the people affected by natural disasters.”
Fabiano added that government will ensure that the relief assistance is used for the intended purpose.
On his part, Minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi said the money will help in rebuilding broken homes and facilities in communities.
“All these people in camps will have to go back to their homes as soon as possible and we believe this money will help us to do that.
“Facilities such as hospitals and schools need to be rebuilt and all this need money. So what the Chinese government has done cannot be taken for granted,” said Dausi.
From March 4 to 8 2019, some in the southern and eastern parts of the country experienced heavy rains that left almost 86 980 households displaced in 15 districts.
