Humanitarian partners in Malawi have launched a Flash Appeal that urgently seeks US$29.4 million to provide vital assistance to 542,000 people who have been hardest hit by Tropical Storm Ana for the next three months, in support of the Government-led relief efforts.

Tropical Storm Ana passed through many districts in southern Malawi in late January 2022, leaving behind devastation and destruction. Over 990,000 people were affected by the storm, according to Government figures. The Flash Appeal focuses on the six hardest-hit districts of Chikwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe, Mulanje, Chiradzulu and Balaka, where an estimated 680,000 people are in need of life-saving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance and protection.

The Flash Appeal brings together the most time-sensitive and critical response activities of 44 partners—the Malawi Red Cross, seven national NGOs, 26 international NGOs and 10 UN agencies—and all of the work carried out under the appeal will directly complement the Government of Malawi’s ongoing relief efforts.

“We have worked hard to ensure that this appeal is prioritized and principled, and we are confident that the activities planned are those that are most urgently needed to deliver immediate relief to the people who need it most,” said the UN Resident Coordinator a.i., Shigeki Komatsubara.

“While we are conscious that humanitarian support is not a long-term solution to the recurrent climatic shocks that continue to increase in frequency and intensity in Malawi, we are faced today with an urgent need to act swiftly to save the lives and livelihoods of those whose homes and crops have been upended by Tropical Storm Ana,” he added.

Expressing appreciation for the solidarity already shown by the international community in response to Tropical Storm Ana—including the $3 million allocated by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support urgent humanitarian actions—the UN Resident Coordinator a.i. called for further support to the people of Malawi at this extremely challenging time.