United Kingdom has offered to help the victims of the deadly Tropical Cyclone Idai, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe with humanitarian relief.
The United Nations (UN) has reported that over a hundred thousand people in Malawi and Mozambique have been greatly affected by the cyclone and torrential rains, leaving a number of people homeless.
UK support will help the WFP provide cash transfers so that 140,000 people can feed themselves until the end of March. The UK government will also send tents and thousands of shelter kits to Mozambique to help provide immediate shelter to those that have been forced to flee their homes.
According to the Secretary of the International Development Penny Mordaunt said that the funding is in place to help and meet the needs of the victims of the devastating cyclone.
“I have made £6 million of UK aid available to help and meet the immediate needs of people who have lost everything. We have deployed a UK team of DFID experts who are now on the ground in Mozambique helping to co-ordinate the UK’s response to this disaster, and we hope to have vital UK aid supplies in the region shortly. We stand ready to scale up our support if needed,” said Mordaunt
UK has shown sadness over the matter saying that the images of the victims following this deadly cyclone and extreme weather are shocking, however they have placed messages of hope to the people of Malawi Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
”The people of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe should know that they are firmly in our thoughts at this difficult time, and that the UK stands by their side,” reads part of the statement.
DFID already provides core funding to international aid organizations on the ground, including UN agencies and the Red Cross movement, which are providing emergency humanitarian relief as part of the international response in the region.
Hygiene kits, tool kits, family kits and latrine kits have been distributed to Malawi and Mozambique by giving supporting World Food Program (WFP) to distribute food.
DFID is also the biggest donor to the START Fund, which has allocated £400,000, to enable NGOs Trocaire and HelpAge International to meet immediate needs such as clean water and shelter in Malawi.
