Following floods in December, food such as maize, beans and cooking oil as well as plastic cups and plates were distributed to families.

MALAWI, Africa - With harvest season right around the corner, Mai Alice Juma was making do with what food they had saved until the fields were ready.

She had just settled in for the night when she was jolted awake by screams and cries. She heard water rushing into her village and the only thing she had time to do was grab her children and head for higher ground.

"We heard noise like thunder," she said. "It was the water coming in like a big wave."

The family made it to a school where they ended up living for more than a month waiting for the water to recede. For Mai Alice, and everyone in her village, the winter floods destroyed everything – livestock, crops, clothes, food and other household items.

In total, three districts were drenched by the floods in December, which affected more than 12,000 people. Area rivers and lakes breeched their banks and spared no one.

To make matters worse, the geography of these districts is very mountainous with little trees. The soil can't absorb the water quickly enough when there is a lot of rain. Besides losing crops, houses were destroyed and washed away.

"All we had left was what we carried with us that night," Mai Alice said.

Together with Emmanuel International and German-based Humedica International, Operation Blessing helped provide relief to those in the affected regions.

"Many families had food reserves stocked in their houses in order to last them for the remaining few months until the harvest was ready," said Charles Mukiwa, programs manager with Emmanuel International, who was onsite following the floods. "Everything was lost."

Immediately following the floods, Civil Protection Committees, which are chaired by village's leaders, put together a list of families in need. Together with Emmanuel International and German-based Humedica International, Operation Blessing helped provide relief to those in the affected regions.

Food such as maize, beans and cooking oil as well as plastic cups and plates were distributed to families. In addition, medical clinics were held in various regions. More supplies were given out at the clinics.

More than 3,000 families received enough food to last one month, and were given household items to replace some of their broken or lost goods.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today.

 

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