UNFPA donates relief items to Chikwawa flood survivors

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has donated relief items to flood survivors in Chikwawa district in response to floods that affected most parts of the country.

UNFPA Deputy Representative, Masaki Watabe, made the donation to the survivors on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at Fombe Admarc camp in the district.

According to Watabe, UNFPA is supporting the camp with mobile health services to take care of the basic sexual and reproductive health needs and protection of women, adolescent girls and young people.

“The situation in this camp is still difficult, the humanitarian crisis is not yet over considering this is still rainy season. But UNFPA is committed to help as much as we can with our resources together with our development partners.

“UNFPA is focusing on the health and rights of women, adolescent girls and young people. In this camp, we’re supporting with mobile health services to take care of the basic sexual and reproductive health needs such as family planning and HIV testing.

“We have also been providing dignity kits and today we are donating solar lumps to ensure the environment is safer for the survivors. We understand that there’s high risk of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in such environments, as UNFPA we’ve provided them with these solar lumps for communities to utilize for their own interest”, said Watabe.

UNFPA has however disclosed that due to the climate change, degradation as well as population pressure, the country is prone to recurring natural disaster and organization is committed to help those affected by disasters not only during the emergency phase but also in the recovery stage. The organisation has also urged government institutions and communities to build resilience in preparation for future disasters.

Speaking to the camp chairman, Roderick Malenga, he has commended UNFPA for the donation.

“We have been receiving mobile health services from UNFPA since we moved here on January, 25, 2021. The help rendered has assisted us to keep our women, girls and young people safe.

Malenga has however asked well-wishers to help them with food items. He added that government helped them with food in the early days when they moved in the camp but the food was not enough as the camp is hosting many people.

He also disclosed that the camp has other people including children as well as disabled people who’re in need of medical support.

In her remarks, one of the survivors at the camp, Charity Malunga, applauded UNFPA for the donation. She has however urged other organisation to assist the young and pregnant women in the camp with other basic needs to make the environment more habitable for them.

Fombe Admarc Camp situated in Chikhambi village, T/A Kasisi has about 250 households; 1630 people, 1010 females, 110 breastfeeding women, 138 under five children and 43 pregnant women.