Southern Malawi was hit by Cyclone Freddy.
My home city, Blantyre, was hit badly. Many parts of the city experienced flash floods and mud slides. Soche, Manja, Ndirande, Chilomoni, Machinjiri.
Other parts of southern Malawi are suffering. Mulanje, Thuchila, Phalombe, the lower Shire, Zomba.
The equivalent of 6 months of rain fell within a few days.
The destruction is unprecedented. Many areas are cut off as bridges and roads have been washed away.
The worst storm in decades.
I have been watching Cyclone Freddy since the end of February. All along, I was worried it would hit southern Malawi.
I experienced Cyclone Ana last year.
And now Cyclone Freddy.
Since last weekend, I’ve been reading and amplifying tweets from Malawi. Connecting with friends on Whatsapp.
My thanks go out to Onjezani Kenani and team for their immediate response. You are heroes. Zikomo.
To all of my readers: Please don’t forget Malawi.
Please help Malawians to rebuild their livelihoods.
Buy Malawian products.
There are many world-class products. Macadamia nuts. Kilombero rice. Soybeans. Groundnuts.
Coffee from Satemwa, Mzuzu, Njuli, Chipunga, Namikango.
Tea from Mulanje and Thyolo.
Ask your local café to offer Malawian coffee and Malawian tea.
Consider travelling to visit Lake Malawi. Lakeshore hotels and cottages are open.
Support faith-based charities and local help organizations. My family founded and maintains Chombo children’s home in Chirimba, Blantyre together with a dedicated team.
Together we will help and rebuild.
Ancient poetry that I heard today:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm Chapter 46: Verse 1 to 3
I love this poem sent to me via Whatsapp
A CRY FROM MALAWI
by Nyambeye Wa Salanje
Amidst the rolling hills
and plains of green,
A storm has brewed, a tempest unforeseen.
Cyclone Freddy, with its fierce might,
Has plunged Malawi into a never-ending night.
The rain has fallen, incessant and unrelenting,
Floods have ravaged, nature’s wrath unyielding.
The rivers have swollen, their banks overflowing,
Roads and bridges destroyed, the damage ongoing.
The land is scarred, the mud and stones a grave,
As lives are lost, and families left to grieve.
Electricity is gone, water pumping halted,
Hunger looms, crops destroyed, the people dejected.
Oh God, hear our plea, and see us through this plight,
Send us your love, your mercy, your light.
We call upon the world, to lend us a hand,
To help us stand again, and rebuild this land.
Malawi may be battered, but its spirit remains strong,
Its people resilient, despite all that’s gone wrong.
Together we shall rise, and overcome this test,
For our hearts beat as one, with hope and faith, we shall rest.
Via Whatsapp
