Blantyre Synod plants a smile on Nsanje Flood victims
by Allen Kaombe, Blantyre Synod Communications Officer

Since the flash floods hit the Lower Shire, Eight-year old Tendai Mpondamale from Traditional Authority Tengani’s area, Nsanje, has frequently been going out on an empty stomach because of food shortages. She cannot even afford to go to school; she has no clothes and other facilities preparing her for an education

Managing with poor and irregular nutrition is not her choice. The family of her distant brother in-law she joined as a curse following consecutive death of her parents some 5 years ago is severely struggling to make ends meet. The floods have eroded their maize and irish potato gardens, killed a number of hens they reared, and gone away with key household facilities and foodstuffs central to their survival.

“We are survive on fish and when there are rains through out the day, we end the day with empty stomachs,” said Mpondamale in front of a small swarm of orphans waiting to receive food aid at Tengani Camp, a structure UNCR built long ago to accommodate refugees from Mozambique.

Mpondamale is a particle of the flood victims in the Lower States some 150km down south of Blantyre, the country’s commercial city. Nsanje District Commissioner Toby Solomoni said the floods have brought woes to ten traditional authorities, among them being Tengani, Nachikadza, Malemia, Makoko, Mbenje, Chimombo, Ndamera, Mulolo and Ngabu.

Traditional Authority Tengani alone has 110 villages and of these 70 have been affected by the floods, said Chigule Soda who is T/A and acting Senior Chief Tengani.

“The floods came in the night and shops, houses and livestock are gone and people have been left destitute,” T/A Tengani said.

In response to the natural disaster under the direction of Nsanje District Commission Toby Solomoni, the CCAP Blantyre Synod through the Blantyre Synod Development Commission (BSDC) distributed 1200 bags of flour, 500 bags of beans and 100 bags of salt to 590 households in a bid to mitigate the woes brought by the floods.

BSDC Coordinator Dr. Jerry Jana said Blantyre Synod at large exists to serve the people not only when they are at peace but more so it has the responsibility to be responsive when the people are faced with such natural disasters as floods.

“It’s unfortunate that our intervention came late, but this was the case because we were waiting for the District Commissioner to direct us to the area where we could conduct the relief exercise,” Dr. Jana said.

He added, “There is no any discrimination based on race, religious affiliation or whatsoever in our relief activities because we recognize that all people belong to God and we have to respond to their needs without discrimination.”

The distribution exercise took place at Tengani camp and had three categories. The first category comprised orphans, the second one the elderly and the third included the rest of the affected families.

In the orphan category getting the food aid was 10-year-old Aluse Ndafakale from Chisi Village, T/A Tengani, Nsanje. She came to the camp with only a wrapper on and looking frail. She nearly were nearly released when she was in an interview recounting how hard the going has been for them to survive even before the floods had begun.

Just like Tendai Mpondamale, Ndafakale cannot afford an education, which is her basic right, in the midst of free education. She lives with her late mother’s sister, who has 6 children to take care while battling dire poverty.

“I do not have clothes and cannot go to school with Nsalu (a wrapper); I will not feel comfortable and my friends will mock me. I want to go to school but I do not have these things so I just stay home,” she said, adding that if help can come in she will be happy to go to school.

Ndafakale also recounted that life in the family of her surrogate mother is one of surviving on vegetables and fish, usually during summer before harvest. Their nutrition, she said, improves when they have harvest their maize and other supplementary food crops.

Malawi is having an increasing number of orphans due to the pillaging effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic with a prevalence rate of 14.1 percent. According to the UNAIDS 2006 Report on the global HIV/AIDS Epidemic, Malawi has 550,000 estimated number of orphaned children due to the marauding activities of HIV/AIDS.

The disease has also left elderly people without children to look after them in their old age. A few metres from the distribution point stood 86-years-old Enise Misheki, very frail and having difficulties to speak and hear out of old age. She had already received the food aid Blantyre Synod was distributing but was not waiting for a good Samaritan of any type to carry her food stuffs home.

“I had 7 children. All died way back and now I do not have anyone to take care of me. I rely on the church and community members who assist me occasionally,” Misheki said.

She said when people are out in town have an incorrect view that food shortage is only a question during floods. The elderly men, women and orphans are going out on empty stomachs, she said pointing out at people on queue lining for food aid, and there is dire poverty for the people in general.

“We appreciate the help we receive, but it is only for a short while. It would be good if the government had long-term solution to food shortage for the elderly and orphans. Our problem is not only a result of floods but strength and close relatives who can help,” she said.

Macfeston Alufandika was at Tengani camp to represent Nsanje District commissioner Toby Solomoni during the food stuffs distribution exercise. He agrees with Misheki that there is chronic food shortage for orphans and the elderly in Nsanje.

“The situation can be seen even when there are no floods. When the floods occur, the problem is just pushed greater proportions, requiring stronger intervention,” he said.

Even now, Alufandika said, few organizations have responded to the call to help the flood victims but the problem is still there. “The people need shelter, plastic papers to roof their makeshift homes and key household utensils. Food alone cannot address their needs at the moment,” he said, adding that food aid intervention has managed to reach out to five traditional authorities out of 10.

Blantyre Synod has responded to 590 households but more need help in the lower states. Further intervention is required from the Civil society to complement government efforts. The floods and food shortage problems faced by the people there, particularly Nsanje, require permanent and long-term solutions, beginning with collective and multi-faceted response by a partnership of government and non-Government Organizations.

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