UK to provide K5.6bn aid for cyclone victims

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for International Development (DfID) has announced that it will provide up to £6 million (about K5.9 billion) to support victims of a devastating cyclone that affected Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

A statement issued yesterday by DfID states that in Malawi, the support will help the World Food Programme (WFP) provide cash transfers to enable 140 000 people access food until the end of March.

The statement quotes DfID International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt as having said: “I have made £6 million of UK aid available to help meet the immediate needs of people who have lost everything… We stand ready to scale up our support if needed.”

She says UK aid is also supporting WFP to feed 130 000 people for two weeks in Mozambique by distributing emergency food and food vouchers.

“The people of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe should know that they are firmly in our thoughts at this difficult time, and that the UK stands by their side,” says Mordaunt in the statement.

The United Nations estimate that 600 000 people are affected in Mozambique and 900 000 in Malawi.

Earlier yesterday, the Mozambique death toll was estimated at over 1 000, according to the statement. 

DfID already provides core funding to international aid organisations on the ground, including UN agencies and Red Cross, which are providing emergency humanitarian relief as part of the international response in the region.

According to the statement, DfID also has staff  based in Zimbabwe who are working with partners to assess what support is needed. Since June 2018, DfID has provided £10.5 million (about K10 billion) to WFP and Unicef to support vulnerable people in Malawi.