Every rainy season, residents of Gamulani Ward in Ndirande – Blantyre used to live with a painful and terrifying reality. Flooding waters that would overrun their homes, streets, and even the local cemetery becomes order of the day.
This was due to a blockage drainage system, turning roads into rivers and washing away not only property, but sacred graves.
Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) through a project known as Enabling effective disaster risk management through systems of interagency anticipatory action using a multispectral approach (DRIMIAA), funded by the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) through the Danish Red Cross and other partners – World Food Program (WFP) and Food for Agriculture Organization (FAO), has been empowering communities on locally led Anticipatory Actions.
In Ndirande through Umodzi group, which is a beneficiary of the Group Cash Transfers, communities rehabilitated and constructed key drainage channels, strategically placed sandbags, and organized waste management efforts to prevent blockages. These actions, though simple, had a transformative effect.
“Before this project, we felt forgotten. Every rainy season we would watch the water destroy our roads, our homes, even the graves of our loved ones. But with the support we received, we took matters into our own hands. Now when the rains come, we stand together and protect what matters most, this has given us more than safety, it has given us pride and unity.” Said Jessy Banda.
Beyond just flood prevention, the project has restored dignity to the people of Gamulani.
By stopping water from reaching burial grounds and reducing the health risks linked to stagnant water and poor sanitation, the community now breathes easier during the rainy season.