Freddy, the longest-lasting and highest-energy tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide, hit Madagascar, Mozambique, and Malawi and claimed more than 150 lives in Mozambique as well as over 500 in Malawi. Many people are still missing. The number of displaced persons in the 12 affected Malawian districts is more than half a million. Homes, businesses, basic infrastructure, roads and bridges have been destroyed, crops and livestock affected. Educational institutions are serving as emergency shelters. All efforts are now going into the search for missing persons, providing food for the victims and avoiding the spread of waterborne diseases – Malawi was already facing its deadliest cholera outbreak in recorded history with 45,400 cases reported. The outbreak claimed the lives of more than 1,400 people during the weeks before Freddy struck the country. The buildings and infrastructure of DVV International’s partners have been severely damaged in Malawi as well as in Mozambique.
Climate change is here and catastrophes such as the one we have had to witness recently in Southern Africa are becoming increasingly regular phenomena. In poor countries like Malawi the disaster preparedness against such shocks is very limited. The community of adult educators is increasingly looking into ways and means to assist local populations in order to make them more resilient. While there are known and promising approaches for that, it is clear that this cannot replace global efforts to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and to halt global warming. DVV International will present more on that subject in the course of its future publications.
We mourn the victims.
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