Disaster appeal for Southern Malawi following tropical cyclone Freddy devastation

This month, Malawi has experienced one of the strongest - and longest-lasting - storms ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere.

For those of you who have asked, we have included details of how you can support the families in need at the bottom of this article.

Already we know that at least 326 people in the Southern region of Malawi have died, with many more reported missing. High winds and torrential rain have caused rivers to burst their banks and create significant flooding and landslides, destroying houses, roads and bridges in their path.

Sally and a group of friends of Watson's Malawi Partnership witnessed the devastating impact of the storm themselves as they happened to be visiting Malawi at the time:

"The storm has been relentless with local flooding, power cuts, loss of life and roads blocked. We have managed several visits to Open Arms and helped with the children as some staff have been unable to get to the house. We were surprised to see they are in need of basic essentials to look after the babies - bottles, drinking mugs, bibs, clothes, washable nappies, changing mats & bouncy chairs.

"The local news is grim reading as Malawians try to cope with the impact of the cyclone & it has shown us how fragile & vulnerable their lives are here."

Susan Dalgety in an article for The Scotsman sets out the bleak conditions now facing Malawian families:

"It is hard to imagine how a mother must feel, with her two-room home gone, swept away in a sea of filthy mud, her small garden of maize or cassava decimated, and her children crying silently for food and water. There are reports that some of the people who have taken shelter in temporary camps have not eaten for four days.

"In its wake, the storm leaves the risk of cholera – a disease that has already claimed more than 1,000 lives across the country during the last few months. In another cruel twist of fate, Malawi is in the grip of its worst-ever cholera outbreak."

President Chakwera has declared a state of disaster in 12 southern region districts where people have been worst affected, including Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Phalombe, Thylo and Zomba.

We have included details of some appeals in case you would like to provide your support here:

	Any funds raised will be used to give extra help to the families Open Arms works with in rural communities to help them recover and rebuild over the longer term: Cyclone relief fund - Opens Arms Malawi (openarmsmalawi.org)
	Our partners, Tom and Petal of Zomba TREEZ, have launched their own appeal to raise money for building materials, emergency food packages and labour for communities in the Zomba Region. Any extra money would pay for labour to dig trenches in the water catchments and plant vetiver grass, bamboo and agroforestry trees to help prevent flooding in the future. More here >>
	Scotland Malawi Partnership has set up a dedicated page sharing updates and details of appeals across the southern region of Malawi. More here >>
	The Malawi Red Cross is conducting search and rescue operations, administering First Aid and rushing casualties to hospital but they need more help. Details for supporting their efforts in Malawi can be found on the image to the left.