ShelterBox disaster relief in Malawi

Abnormally heavy rains during January 2015 caused severe flooding in the Shire and Ruo river systems in southern Malawi, affecting 15 of the country’s 28 districts, and more than 600,000 citizens. According to the UN Resident Coordinator’s first situation report, an estimated 230,000 people were initially displaced across the three worst hit districts of Nsanje, Chikwawa, and Phalombe.

ShelterBox immediately dispatched an assessment team, which established where and how to deploy. On its recommendations, ShelterBox shipped 224 ShelterBoxes to families in remote and inaccessible areas around Chikwawa in the south of the country. The beneficiaries of the program were selected on the basis of need, in the first instance targeting the most vulnerable families. The distribution exercise was completed at end of February 2015.