The Start Fund has disbursed a total of £700,000 in a double activation for the flooding in Malawi and Mozambique. In Malawi, funding has been awarded to Concern Worldwide, ActionAid, Christian Aid and Save the Children for a total £350,000, while in Mozambique, funding has been awarded to Save the Children (on behalf of the COSACA Consortium with Care, Concern and Oxfam) and World Vision for a total of £350,000.
The Fund was alerted on Friday in a joint submission from ActionAid, Concern Worldwide, Oxfam, Save the Children and Tearfund, following heavy rains in recent weeks across Southern Africa. The alert note described how “in both countries the floods have caused mass displacement, with people being forced to leave flooded or at-risk homes. The floods have also damaged crops, wiped away livestock and caused significant damage to roads and bridges.”
It points out that while “both governments are setting aside funding for the response, none of the bigger donors have committed funding… The Start Fund can help ensure that those most affected are given timely support but further act as seed money to encourage support from other donors.”
Development Initiatives outlined the funding analysis for both countries in a briefing note prepared on Friday, which confirmed that “no international humanitarian assistance has been reported for Malawi or Mozambique in 2015.”
Meanwhile ACAPS prepared separate briefing notes for the situations in Malawi and Mozambique ahead of the Allocation Committee meeting that took place on Friday afternoon. The Malawi briefing note put the death toll as of January 16th at 153, with between 85,000 and 100,000 people displaced. Meanwhile, the Mozambique briefing note states that 34 people have died and up to 100,000 have been impacted by the disaster.
The Allocation Committee agreed on Friday afternoon to activate the Fund for a total envelope of up to £700,000. In order to appropriately assess projects that will be implemented in the two affected countries, the Allocation Committee recommended that two local Project Selection Committees should be mobilised, each with an allocated envelope of £350,000.
This morning, local project selection processes took place in Lilongwe, Malawi, and Maputo, Mozambique. The two committees each comprised five local staff from Start Network member agencies.
The successful agencies will begin implementing their projects today, to provide immediate lifesaving assistance through the provision of WASH, shelter, food, and Non-Food-Item (NFI) distribution.