ADRA-Malawi set aside K240m for flood victims: Usi condemns ‘floods-gate’

A local charity, the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA-Malawi) says it has set aside about K240 million for relief aid distribution exercise that seeks to reduce the suffering of people who have been affected by the devastating floods that have hit over half of the country’s districts.

Deputy Country Director for ADRA, Michael Usi, told Nyasa Times in exclusive interview on Monday that the assistance is expected to reach 134,000 people who are in need of relief items throughout the country.

“As a partner of government in development and a friend of the poor we responded very positively to call by the state president to join hands to reduce the impact of floods in various parts of the country. We have so far mobilized resources in cash and kind. I would say that we are starting the distribution exercise in two weeks’ time,” said Usi.

However, Usi said ADRA Malawi has already reached to over 5,000 households in the districts of Phalombe and Mulanje.

According to Usi  the assistance has comes from different donors include its traditional donors like Denmark, ADRA Afro, ADRA International, Sweden, and World Food Program.

Reacting to media reports that many victims are not benefitting from the donations, Usi commended the media for writing more stories on how people are suffering from the impact of floods, he however cautioned the media against sensationalizing the relief aid distribution exercise.

“Let me take advantage of this interview that we been receiving information saying some organizations are plundering resources intended for the poor Malawians,  you know it must be applauded when our media expose these evil acts, but let me ask them that as much as we appreciate their noble course, they should move closer to actually where the dog is buried and make sure that it is exposed explicitly so that those civil society organization which are not to blame are not subjected to neglect by donors because of the blanket accusation,” he said.

Usi also condemned individuals who are swindling the relief items saying only God will punish them.

“If there is indeed individuals benefiting from these relief items it is evil at its best because if you look at the situation on the ground, people have no houses, people have lost their beloved ones, people have lost properties, now for one to be benefitting out of these devastated people, I mean that issue is not between man and a man but it’s between the man and God, that’s what I can say,” Usi said.

Usi also advised religious leaders to visit and pray with the flood victims “in this trying and solemnly situation.”

“You see when such disaster happen, there are a number of needs which can be addressed by resources like money food, but we should not forget there is psychological part of it where we need men of God to go and pray with people that have been affected, let them understand the situation they are in , help them to come back to themselves. So I call upon the men of God to actually go and talk to the affected people, counsel them, let them see God,” Usi said.

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