Malawi woman give birth in floods, Bishop appeals for support: Photos of Malawi ‘disaster’
Bishop Peter Musikuwa of Chikwawa Dioeces of the influential Roman Catholic Church has appealed for global prayer and material support for the flood victims in his country where at least 176 have been killed with many more missing and 200,000 homeless.
The floods, which have wreaked havoc on half the the country’s 28 districts, have disrupted power supplies, plunging some areas into darkness.
Bishop Musikuwa visited Nsanje where 86,000 people have been affected with the floods .
“This is worse disaster in Malawi. We need prayer and humanitarian support,” said the Bishop. “The international community should come in and help us. The support is needed immediately.”
The Bishop said he was “deeply shocked” when he saw a woman giving birth while trapped by floodwaters. She was rescued.
Both mother and the baby were fine.
The mother told Nyasa Times reporter that she delivered in floodwater “with the grace of God.”
“I am appealing for assistance from well wishers. My baby has developed some rushes and when l went to the hospital they instructed me to go to the pharmancy to buy a certain medicine which l cannot afford,” she said.
Nsanje district commissioner Harry Phiri said at Bangura Primary School during the launch of food distribution programme in the district by the Vice President Saulosi Chilima and World Vision Malawi that they need materials like food, tents and blankets to the affected people especially those who have been put in evacuation centres.
The government has also warned of the impact the floods will have on health services, fearing the spread of water-borne diseases.
“The health care system will be disrupted as people will not get services and some might have lost their drugs such as ARVs. Children will not be vaccinated,” said Malawi’s health ministry spokesman Henry Chimbali.
“Sanitation will be compromised now with waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid likely to occur.”
Large areas of land in southern Malawi are now completely submerged. The on-going rains and damaged infrastructure – some key roads and bridges have been washed away – are further complicating rescue operations.
Rescuers are also trying to find bodies of people believed to have drowned in the Shire River. Some people have also been reluctant to leave their farms and now local elders have been tasked with ensuring everyone is taken to camps on higher, dry land.
Meanwhile, Anglican Bishop Brighton Malasa of the Diocese of Upper Shire has added his voice to the appeal for “ehumanitarian support such as soap, clothes, cereals, sugar, blankets and tents”
He said “babies also need milk [because] they are in danger of suffering from malnutrition.”
UNICEF Country Representative in Malawi Mahimbo Mdoe said, “Communities, government, NGOs and the U.N. are working together to avert a humanitarian disaster but the rains are persistent and we remain on high alert as the flooding spreads to other areas.”
Despite efforts being made by organizations such as UNICEF, Malasa said this “painful journey” cannot be walked alone and that the church also needs to take an upper hand.
“As a church, we are called to minister to people who are suffering in such difficult situations. We are called to bring full life to them using the already available resources,” he said.
The Diocese of Upper Shire has since set up a special relief committee headed by the Very Rev. John Chilombe, dean of the cathedral, and the Ven. John Mchakama, vicar general of the diocese, to make sure that the needs of the people are addressed as soon as possible.
The southern part of Malawi is prone to seasonal floods and droughts especially in the early months of the year. In January last year more than 5000 were displaced following heavy rains.
Malawi is a country where the knowledge and wisdom of the elderly in the community is appreciated. The bishop said, “The oldest people in our communities are saying they have not seen such rains (and floods) in the past 50 years.”
For more information and details about how to donate contact:
Canon John Chilombe, dean of the cathedral, at [email protected]
The Rt. Rev. Brighton Malasa, bishop of the Upper Shire, at [email protected]
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I live in the united states and have a pen pal- William, who lives in Malawi. I pray for all of you every day throughout the whole day that God would rescue all of you and that you would get needed supplies. We have even sent an email to our governor asking why the United States is not helping more. My prayers are with all of you! Be safe and trust in the Lord with all your heart and all your mind. Turn from your wicked ways and He will heal your land!
kodi amabungwe aja a civil society ali kuti? kodi pankhani za ngozi ngati izizi samatengapo gawo? Tithandiseni pozindikira kuti mawa muzatifunanso kuti tikuthandizeni kukayenda kumsewu
I like these pictures. Jerome send more pictures on this page. I am here in USA.Bravo Jeromy.
Ok
Aaaaaaahhhh!!!!zoona zokhazokha izi when people sin and turn against God and forget him God will always turn against them and he will always show and remind the people about his presence through catastrophism where people and lives perish and tend to wonder why us ooohhh Lord where is God. Tili busy ndi uhule kunyoza mulungu kuledzera ndi kuchita uchimo osiyanasiyana kuyiwala kuti kuli mulengi. Machimo ochita atsogoleri ndi anthu ena amaudindo odzitenga ozindikira lero aphetsa anthu osalakwa.Let us repent and return to God otherwise the just shall live by faith.
God is with us i thank God.
Akhristu tiyambe ndife kuvala modzilemekeza. Why should Christian artists sing in sleeveless attire exposing breasts short tight fitting dresses that leaves very little to the imagination. God is holy and can not be approached in sin. 2015 should bro,g change in our approach.
its very sad to register 176 plus deaths
too bad
God is the Great
I beg your attention “all the human rights activists”. Please listen to me. ” if you want to be relevant in Malawi, start talking to people about their responsibilities. You are just too busy talking about human rights. But people have responsibilities and it’s the responsibility of all CSOs have gonel back to schoo.
It is a pity that you CSOs are quiet while people in Lower Shire are refusing to be airlifted. Don’t you think you have a big task here educating people to be responsible? Please stop being narrow focused. It appearso you don’t know what else to do apart from making irritating noises and exposing your shallow mindedness. I would like to urge you to go back to school. Zikuthandizani kwambiri.
Lord have mercy
Wen people abandon God and start to embrace systems that put the fear of God aside the land is cursed. Multiparty democracy introduction brought relief from the ills of autocratic rule by the previous regime. Freedom it was at last. However the freedoms have brought in rights that are against the will of God. Marriage is no longer what God prescribed it to be, a union btn man and woman. In the new system a man can marry a man so too a woman. Freedom of dressing is now the freedom to undress. Freedom of speech or is it Association has given a podium to others to deny even the existence of God. Learned people spend sleepless nights defending abomination. Then the saying that says Sukulu siyicotsa ucitsiru comes to mind. The end result is that the face of God no longer protects you then innocent people suffer as a result. What then can we do? Repent ask God to heal our land.
Achipani cha amayi athandizapo ndi nsalu.Mwamuona mzimayiyo.Akananyamulila chiyani katundu wakeuo pachipanda nsalu za PP??
It so easy to point fingers at flood victoms bt what we should know is that no body knew that things will turn bad the wau it is think of chilombwe,ndirande ever since l hve never head this what we hve seen today so let us all pray to god almight to protect us all and pray those who hve lost there lives
Let us accept to be evacuated this z dangerous
dpp and APM in control…
Asena kusamva kukana kusamuka anakangofa onse
You guys are not serious. Others are being swept away by floods while others are busy making babies in water. …..alhomwe koma.
Mwanayo apatse dzina loti Fuladzi
am very sad to see my brethren in bad mood bcuz of the floods,but am sure God he is going to comfort us soon as his peoples
very bad
Next time tizakambanso ya ma flood yomweyi mxiii
Sad, the met department has indicated that water will recede, may be there will be some relief
Son sad lets join hands in thé procédé of trying to combat this natural disaster
Tithokoze boma,Mabungwe ndi Mipingo potengapo mbali
Mwanayo dzina lake akhale Auther flood Peter Mr No talk Mdalira.
Please Mr. Kadewere whenever you put a picture give name of the exact please where you took the picture, Nsanje is very large it is not enough to say Nsanje we all know that these things are happening in Nsanje District, but we want to know exact place. Is it Bangula or elsewhere try to do that otherwise we get nothing from your photos.
Jeromy Kadewere! You are arguably the best digital-photojournalist in Malawi. Photos that are in themselves telling a story. For example, the photo of a woman who has given birth amidst floods can sell internationally even to the likes of the New York Times, the BBC etc. Similarly, the one depicting cattle in flooded waters. I wonder if you are ever sending such photos to Reuters or any other international news agency. I have followed you in the past few years, you are all over (sports, funerals etc) I hope you will be there at Our Bishop Zuza’s funeral, as we escort him to rest in eternal peace. Kadewere, your photos are world-class and Nyasatimes, you have a gem!
Where are you going to put them if your saying asamuke ??
Pepani. Mulungu atithandize. Mizimu ya otisiya iwuse mu mtendere.
2 God b all de glory so safe delivery & securing their lives.
May god look after the flood new baby born and mother . We play for our friends in nsanje and chikhwawa that god should on their side at this difficulty times
Wakwatila kwa mphezi saopa……………………………
i think this is an eye opener to the government.we have emergency budget but all money goes int already full stomuchs i dont know why
Kodi achilombewa alipobe ndimayesa nthawi ina yake tinamva pa radio kuti akuchita farewell mpakana amai anapitako mkumati akupita ku Zambia.
Very sad indeed.
Koma yamulungu atafuna kuwononga dzikoli ndikanthawi kochepa kwambiri..Apatu zinayamba kupita kuchigumula cha Noah.
Mulungu tichitileni chisoni ife Ana anu ndife anthu aochimwa.
Good reporting Jeromy. The photographs are a true reflection of what the nation is going through.
Praise God For Newly Born Baby. Mw Must Do Something To Avoid This Next Year
Zikomo Ambuye Musikuwa, mwaonetsadi mtima wa chikondi chija cha Ambuye Yesu Khristu pa nkhosa zanu.
Bwenzi wabwino amaoneka mnthawi ya mavuto.
Hear malawi voice God