Meet 29-year-old Bernadette Dinimu. Married with three children, she comes from a small village in Malawi’s Mulanje district. She is just one of the 800,000 people who were affected by Cyclone Idai, which hit Malawi in March 2019. She explains in her own words how the cyclone turned her family’s life upside down - and how they have got back on their feet with support from United Purpose.
My family and I were living a happy life before the floods. Our main source of food was from our own agriculture production and our source of income was casual labour. We used to cultivate other people’s farmland at a fee of MK5,000 (~7 USD) per month. With the money earned through this work, we were able to provide for the basic needs of our family - food, shelter and school fees.
Our life changed after our house collapsed due to Cyclone Idai and we lost all our property, including the crops from our field. Immediately after the disaster, we sought refuge at my sister’s house. However, as her house was too small to accommodate the family for a long period, we had to then move to Nogwe camp.
Life in the camp was unbearable as there was no food and we had to rely on casual labour in crop fields in order to get food for the day. United Purpose assisted us while we were in the camp by providing food, cooking oil, hygiene products and a plastic sheet. Thanks to this, my husband and I no longer had to work in the crop fields, and instead I had enough time to take care of my children and family. We stayed in the camp for three months.
We are now recovering from the shock and are constructing a new house. The plastic sheet we received in the camp will be used for the roofing. The project also supported our family with orange-fleshed sweet potato vine bundles, which we have planted in the wetland area. These potatoes are a nutritious source of food for the family.
I have also joined a village savings and loans group, which will help me access soft loans. I am now able to participate in other community activities and applaud United Purpose for supporting our family during a critical time.
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