ReliefWeb

Executive Summary

The Malawi government reported approximately 869,000 people were affected by flooding and Cyclone Idai, including 60 deaths and 677 injuries. An estimated 87,000 people were displaced.

Rapid needs assessments continue in the hardesthit areas to verify initial estimates and determine the number of people in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. Satellite imagery showed Chikwawa district as particularly affected. Over 90,000 persons, including 43,391 registered children, across 15 area programmes (AP) in southern Malawi have been affected. The overall impact of the crisis on food security and nutrition, whether directly or indirectly, is huge, considering that the affected people lost nearly all their food commodities at their homes. Food prices have increased, by 40–50% in some local markets, further limiting access to food. Affected people have limited access to potable water, and in some internally displaced persons’ camps wait times to draw water have been so long that people have opted to collect water from unprotected sources. Other people walk long distances to access safe water, which increases the risk of violence for women and girls. Over 400 schools were either submerged by floodwaters or used as temporary displacement sites. An estimated 20% of the learners have not yet returned to school due to the disaster.

The WV Malawi Category 2 National Office Response operates under the umbrella of the World Vision Southern Africa Floods & Cyclone Emergency Response (SAFCER), which was declared on 21 March 2019 as a Category 3 Global Response. To date, the response has projects in water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food assistance, agriculture and livelihoods, camp management and shelter, as well as education.

The objective of the response is to meet the immediate life-saving and early recovery needs of up to 130,000 people affected by the cyclone in 15 districts. World Vision’s response has significantly exceeded, and in fact more than tripled, its beneficiary target of 130,000 by reaching approximately 467,000 beneficiaries. World Vision exceeded its funding target of US$6.5 million by securing approximately US$8.8 million to date.

The Real Time Evaluation of WV Malawi’s response to Cyclone Idai took place in July 2019. The purpose was to assess the response against four criteria (organisational efficiency, relevance, coordination and influence, and programme effectiveness) and culminated in a workshop comprising World Vision staff and partners. Participants validated the findings, refined and prioritised recommendations, and developed action plans for the five prioritised recommendations for immediate improvement.