The European Commission announced on 19/04/2023 an emergency funding of €2.5 million in humanitarian aid for Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique, the 3 countries of the region that suffered the most damage from the 2 passages of tropical storm Freddy in February and March 2023.
Of the €2.5 million, €1.3 million are allocated to Mozambique, €700,000 to Malawi and €500,000 to Madagascar. This funding comes on top of the humanitarian funding of €50 million for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region for 2023.
Emergency funding was also provided to Madagascar and Mozambique after the countries were first struck by tropical cyclone Freddy in February 2023. A new air support operation in Madagascar, funded by the EU with €1.2 million, will help humanitarian actors to reach communities affected by the flooding.
The new funding will be allocated to partners working mainly in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector but also on food assistance, protection, emergency shelter and non-food items and logistics, following the strong winds and floods in the region. This support will alleviate the human suffering of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Cholera epidemic
The situation is aggravated by a cholera epidemic in the region, affecting especially Malawi and Mozambique, which can only be expected to deteriorate due to lack of clean water and of adequate sanitation facilities.
Malawi is currently experiencing its worst cholera outbreak ever. In response, the EU allocated emergency humanitarian funding of €2.64 million to the country. This funding support is geared towards the procurement of essential supplies for treatment and is supporting health and emergency water and sanitation services. The current floods affecting Malawi are among the most serious ever since 1967, when records began.
More information is available at the website of the European Civil Protection Mechanism