Red Cross reaches out to flood victims
About 130 households affected by floods in Mulanje entered the New Year with a smile when the Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) distributed cash through its social cash transfer programme to help alleviate their suffering.
Heavy rains on December 23 caused flooding in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Mkanda, destroying houses and property and leaving some of affected families homeless.
Speaking after distributing the cash on New Year’s Day, MRCS disaster risk reduction project manager for enhancing resilience in disasters George Mwimaniwa said the society distributed about K4.6 million to the affected households to either reconstruct the damaged houses or replace some of the lost properties.
He said: “We are working together with the Department of Disaster Management Affairs [Dodma]. We are distributing the funds per household according to the extent of the damage or the loss incurred, the highest is getting K52 000 while the lowest is getting about K30 000.”
Mwimaniwa said with support from the European Union, the society is also reaching out to those affected by various forms of disasters by providing humanitarian assistance in form of food and through social cash transfer to the affected population.
He said MRCS has already distributed close to K350 million in five months to about 7 000 households in Mwanza.
One of the beneficiaries, Rhoda Mtokosa, a 21-year-old single mother who lost her house during the accident and received K52 000 yesterday, thanked MRCS for the support which she said will help her replace some of the items she lost, including beddings, clothes, and kitchen utensils.
