CYCLONE ANA IN MALAWI

On Tuesday, January 25, a tropical storm made landfall in southern Africa, impacting several countries including Malawi. Heavy rains, high winds, and flooding have affected homes, crops, and infrastructure such as power grids and water distribution systems.

A MESSAGE FROM SAMSON BEKELE, REGIONAL DIRECTOR – AFRICA
I want to provide an update on our colleagues and communities in Malawi that have been impacted by Cyclone Ana. While at least three people have died and dozens have been injured by the storm, none of our employees or their family members have been injured. Our colleagues based in the Chikwawa District are currently operating out of our main office in Blantyre as the storm has cut off roads, damaged bridges, flooded our Chikwawa office, and significantly impacted power in Malawi. In the communities we serve, community members have experienced loss of their houses, crops, and livelihoods and there has been considerable damage to some of the water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure that we helped construct or rehabilitate. 

In 2019, Malawi also experienced deadly flood waters that killed at least 1,000 in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. With climate change, the frequency and severity of tropical storms has increased. Water For People has and will continue to increase its focus on resilient infrastructure.

Your investment in Everyone Forever – a world where every family, school, and health clinic has reliable and safe water and sanitation – means water and sanitation that last. Help us ensure that systems and services are sustainable and stay strong in the face of less predictable and more extreme weather patterns and events like Cyclone Ana.