Malawi: Cholera & Tropical Cyclone Freddy Response Dashboard (As of June 2023)

OVERVIEW

Three months after Cyclone Freddy left a wake of destruction in southern Malawi, more than 53,000 people remained displaced in 26 sites for internally displaced people , in the districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, Mulanje, Zomba, Thyolo, Mangochi and Chiradzulu. Nsanje District has the highest number of displaced people, with 10 sites hosting about 41,000 people. The Government closed 721 out of 747 displacement sites by the end of June, with the process to relocate people in need of resettlement ongoing.

Efforts to bring the cholera outbreak declared on 3 March 2022 under control were effective, with the outbreak controlled in 21 out of 29 districts as of 30 June 2023. A cumulative number of 58,912 cases and 1,763 deaths were recorded during the same period. The outbreak has been the deadliest in Malawi’s history and its largest in the last two decades.

Food insecurity remains a concern despite a slight improvement from 2022. An estimated 3 million people face high acute food insecurity from June to September 2023 compared to 3.8 million people in 2022. Key drivers include the impact of the cyclone – which occurred during the harvest season – high food prices and economic decline, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

Humanitarian partners have provided life-sustaining assistance to an estimated 2.2 million people out of 4.8 million targeted in 15 priority districts, between March and June 2023, under the Cholera and Floods Flash Appeal. The response has reached 1.46 million people with safe drinking water and essential sanitation and hygiene supplies, including risk communication and behaviour change messaging on cholera prevention and control. Partners have supported over 564,950 learners to regain access to education services, which includes restoring water, sanitation, and hygiene services for the learners. Around 274,000 children under age 5 and primary care givers were provided with nutrition services. Food supplies and cash have reached 766,400 people, while over 433,900 people of the most affected have received health assistance. Over 137,280 people have been assisted with shelter and non-food items. The Cyclone Freddy response was able to reach 1 million people (95 per cent) and cholera response reached 1.4 million people (36 per cent) of the targeted population.

At the end of the Flash Appeal period in June 2023, the plan had received US$36.4 million, representing 31.4 per cent of the total requirement of $116 million.