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3/18/2023 1 Comment Cyclone Freddy updateFirst of all, thank you so much/ zikomo kwambiri (in the local language of Chichewa) to everyone who has donated, raised awareness and sent us messages of love and hope over the last few days. Your support has been unbelievable and your funds will genuinely save lives. As valued supporters, we wanted to send you a quick update from Domasi. We are devastated to announce that over the last couple of days we have lost two community members in Domasi, 265 families have been displaced, and 123 families have lost absolutely everything as a result of Cyclone Freddy.  Since we were last in touch we've been working around the clock, alongside other CBOs and local authorities, to work out a plan to best support these families and we are pleased to say that the action starts tomorrow. Using the incredible donations we have already received we will start delivering aid to households in our area. Priority will be given to vulnerable families and individuals e.g. those living with HIV. The aid we will deliver is based on local needs reported by our team on the ground, as well as the guidelines and recommendations of the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) in Malawi. This first phase will focus on the provision of blankets, maize flour, other food items and plastic sheeting - helping to provide people with access to food, shelter and warmth.  We hope to reach over 20 vulnerable households in phase one, and we will then build from there. We've scheduled to collect data every few days so we can understand how the situation is progressing.
We are so proud of how our community of Community Highlighters have come together at this terrifying time, and we really can't thank you enough for everything you are doing to support the people of Domasi. Keep shouting from the rooftops, keep spreading the word and keep our community members in your thoughts. Thank you for everything, we will be in touch again soon. Take care and stay safe, Evie, Thocco, Emma and everyone at Community Highlight 🙏
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3/16/2023 1 Comment Cyclone Freddy: an emergency appealWhile we are all being bombarded by newsflashes about BBC football coverage and Jeremy Clarkson's farm this week, people are dying in Malawi, and it's not even front page news. Cyclone Freddy has already killed 190 people in Malawi and we are devastated to confirm that our community in Domasi has been badly hit.  "Cyclone Freddy has broken records for the number of times it has re-intensified after weakening, and has recorded the highest-ever recorded accumulated energy for a single cyclone - more energy over its lifetime than a whole typical US hurricane season."
Houses are falling down, our staff are reporting injuries, many people have lost everything and we are terrified. As you know, we try to lean away from being an emergency aid organisation, as we prefer to set up and run sustainable projects that focus on empowering our community members and championing education. However, in this situation, we do not have a choice. Without the people of Domasi, there is no Community Highlight - we must protect lives. We've set up this emergency appeal to gather funds that will help us to protect, house and feed our community members temporarily, while the cyclone still continues to rip through the region. People are gathered in our school buildings and religious buildings and it's our utmost priority to keep them safe and healthy while we plan further. So, if today happens to be payday, or if you are looking to scrap your BBC TV license, PLEASE consider sending some funds to Community Highlight. Together, we can help the people of Domasi to get through this truly terrifying time. Thank you and we will keep you updated. |
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