President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has donated MK120 million and over 600 blankets to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) to help people who are in need of shelter and food after their houses and crops were washed away by Cyclone Freddy.
Speaking at Kamuzu Palace on Monday during the handover ceremony President Dr. Chakwera called on people and organizations to continue helping the communities affected by Cyclone Freddy.
“What Freddy has done is nothing short of devastation. It will take years to reconstruct what has been damaged.
Any recovery or reconstruction will require that we all work together to move toward a future that is more prepared for the climate shocks we will undoubtedly face going forward,” said Chakwera
The money the President has donated comes from his Presidential Charity Initiative Committee and was realized during the Presidential Golf Tournament fundraiser that was held on October 8, 2022 and raised K280 Million.
A representative of one of the companies that participated in Presidential Golf Tournament, Maureen Kachingwe, Head of Legal and Company Secretary for Illovo said their company will continue to work hand in hand with government and the President to help in emergencies like these, as well as in other occurrences that need help.
“We will continue to work with the government and other officials until all the victims of Cyclone Freddy are fully rehabilitated and have moved on with their lives. We give you assurance that we will hold hands with you in this and more endeavors,” said Kachingwe.
Kachingwe also thanked the President for ensuring that companies are given a conducive environment in which they work, through which they are able to contribute effectively to the community.
Vizenge Kumwenda, the Presidential Charity Initiative Committee Chairperson also thanked the President for giving this gift and said that what the Malawi leader has done shows good leadership.
“Your action serves as a reminder that leadership is about serving others,” he said.
DODMA Commissioner Charles Kalemba, who received the money and blankets on behalf of his organization, said the funds will go a long way to alleviate the suffering of the affected families.
Meanwhile, DODMA has confirmed that Cyclone Freddy has affected 2.5 million families, and 676 people have died, while 537 people are missing.
Currently, there are more than 750 camps across the Southern Region where more than 143,000 households are being kept after their houses, crops, and businesses were destroyed by floods.
 to help people who are in need of shelter and food after their houses and crops were washed away by Cyclone Freddy.){kind=link}