Thank you for your encouragement, prayers and support as we work to address the immediate and long term needs of MCM’s children and their families due to the on-going disaster affecting southern Malawi.
This week I met with guardians and visited villages for an initial assessment of the impact. Almost 40 households report either collapsed structures or extreme damages including the loss of roofs, fallen walls and extensive water damage affecting more than half of our children. Families have lost their stored food and belongings. Several buildings at MCM endured structural damage with cracked walls, falling plaster and flooding which caused overflowing pit latrines.
The immediate need is to “put a roof over the head of each child” and to provide food security as our families work to rebuild their lives. Building materials to be purchased quickly include; timber, iron sheets for roofs, plastic, nails, wire, bricks and in some cases hired labor. Care Packages of maize, cooking oils and matches will be assembled and delivered this week.
To provide emergency relief to our families our goal is to raise an initial $15,000.
The long term ramifications of this disaster are still to be determined. We anticipate additional homes to be damaged or collapsed, the likelihood of medical needs to increase, an uncertainty of crop yields and the maintenance of a clean supply. Engineers must survey the structural damages to the Center’s buildings. And, there is necessity for discussion around a long term plan to rebuild stronger homes which can withstand these weather conditions.
For now please support this urgent request at www.malawichildrensmission.org/donate [note “Malawi Flood”] to guarantee this vulnerable community has the resources necessary to survive.
If you would like further information regarding the impact on our children and MCM’s needs please email Karen Hirsh at karen@malawichildrensmission.org.