Offaly people bringing hope to African country after devastating storm

Tropical Storm Ana made landfall in southern Africa in late January early February, sweeping through Malawi and other southern African countries with devastating effects. Over 100,000 families were displaced across the country of Malawi, with heavy rainfall, strong winds and large-scale flooding, damaging thousands of hectares of crops and vital infrastructure. Many areas are inaccessible by road. Dozens have died, hundreds are missing, while the storm has left many stranded and cut off from roads and telephones in mainly poor, rural areas. Over 30% of the electricity grid in Malawi is cut off as the country braces itself along with other parts of Southern Africa for more storms and cyclones.

Hope is everything says Offaly influencer

While normally focused on increasing agricultural productivity on small family farms, Self Help Africa has responded to the disaster by moving to provide emergency assistance to the victims of Storm Ana.  In the Mulanje district of Malawi, one of the worst affected regions, Self Help Africa is working to provide emergency assistance to almost 7,000 displaced families sheltering in temporary camps set up in local schools and churches. Even before the storm, life was challenging for the average Malawian – an average life expectancy of 58, the infant mortality rate is about 25 percent and three quarters of the population live on less than a Euro a day. It is the sixth poorest country in the world. And now, a combination of floods and high winds has devastated homes, schools, businesses, crops, rural and farming communities, hospitals and communication stations. Thousands of people who were marooned by the heavy flooding abandoned their homes and possessions to seek safety on higher ground. And these displaced families are now facing a second threat of flash floods after the storm as the country braces itself for more bad weather. Families are being forced to eat meals of leaves and what little else they can find.  It is the kind of crushing poverty that most of us can barely imagine.  The call to overcome poverty is not new. It is as old as the beginnings of life itself. Taken together, the problems can seem like insurmountable obstacles but today this challenge is especially compelling because we know we have the capacity to make a difference.

Across Malawi, Self Help Africa implements programmes focused on agricultural production, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, livelihoods, food and education. All are aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty, hunger and climate change and give opportunities to communities that otherwise may not have them. Self Help Africa has been working across that continent for almost 50 years – a history that’s not necessarily a cause for celebration. Quite the opposite, in fact, as its continued existence is a damming reflection of the world’s inability to address the enduring scourge of hunger, poverty, gender inequality and climate change. But by building on past progress and new opportunities, we can make this a time for hope, even though at times it seems as if we are staring into the abyss. Hope offers the promise that, with shared sacrifice, quality emergency responses, wise investment, and renewed commitment, we can reduce substantially the levels of poverty, hunger, and human deprivation in our own country and around the world and give hope to countries like Malawi. This has been our focus in Self Help Africa - to reduce levels of poverty and hunger by focusing on agriculture, education, livelihoods, climate change alleviation, the credit union and co-op system, entrepreneurial advancement, the empowerment of women and in recent years emergency responses. This is not a time for simple expressions of sympathy and concern, but for active and genuine commitment by people in our world to work with others to make life better for all people and children.

Words matter: Beware of gossip advises Offaly influencer

Our own country and our world faces other urgent challenges such as homelessness. Our economy is hurting, shaken by corporate misconduct and greed, and its impact on workers and investors, as well as the broader forces of globalization, economic change and all too evident examples of climate change. As we continue into the first quarter of 2022, more than half of the world's population lives on less than two euros a day. Almost 1 billion people across the globe, most of them children, live with hunger, malnutrition and the effects of climate change. These numbers should not immobilise us. They should call us to reflect and take action. And we need this mobilisation and action now for the suffering people of Malawi and parts of Southern Africa. This is not one more thing to feel bad about, but rather an opportunity to put our care for humanity into action, to be the carers in society, to lift up the virtues and ethical principles that enhance human dignity. We can make a difference if we mobilise to combat poverty, because we have done so in the past. There is reason for hope and no excuse for inaction. We must do all we can for the people of Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Madagascar at this time. Today, we really need your help and support for the people and children of Malawi. Flooded lands and ruined harvests mean that food security is an imminent problem facing many families across the region, as is shelter and a lack of clean drinking water. If you would to help these families affected by this tragedy please visit our website at www.selfhelpafrica.org or at https://selfhelpafrica.org/ ie/tropical-storm-ana- emergency-appeal/

I've spent over 28 years living and working in Africa and Asia. I've seen families who literally lived at the top of a dump heap next to open sewers. I'm quite proud to say that I work for an Irish development organisation supported and funded by Irish Aid and the Irish public, an organization that is dedicated to empowering rural communities across Africa to achieve economic independence and lift many families out of poverty. And we are doing and are going to do our best to help in the aftermath of Storm Ana. Though I saw much tragedy, sadness and suffering on my last trip to Malawi – my seventh time there over the years - I also met some truly beautiful people, all of them friendly and welcoming. By an accident of birth I am Irish, but I could have just as easily been Malawian. The various trips to Malawi and indeed many of the other African countries I have lived and worked in have made me realise the numerous similarities there are between us all and appreciate what we all share. We breathe the same air. We walk the same way. Our spirits need love and acceptance. Our bodies need food, water and sleep. We share the same humanity. We are really not so different. 

My lasting impression of Malawi during my last visit was not the scale of its poverty, but the spirit of its people. Drought, climate change, hunger and physical suffering have not stolen hope. My thoughts often go back to the beautiful children I saw at the Self Help Africa projects I visited, where knowledge is being passed on by local staff that will vastly improve their lives for the better.  It brings me great comfort to know that these children will have the opportunity to thrive, thanks to Self Help Africa and other Irish NGOs, Irish Aid and Irish Missionaries efforts. But we need your help now as we battle the aftermath of Storm Ana. Children are a precious human resource and it is in children that any country has its future. It is imperative that children born today in Malawi must not only just survive, but are able to grow and develop to their fullest potential. There's, unquestionably, a long way to go before Malawi’s children enjoy a childhood free from extreme poverty. It's worth remembering that most of these children and people do find a way to survive the difficult circumstances in which they find themselves. They nonetheless bear witness to the endurance and potential of the human spirit. The work that Self Help Africa does may seem like a drop in the ocean, but many drops make an ocean.

This work could not continue without the ongoing support of the Irish people. On behalf of my colleagues and the people we work with and especially now the people in Malawi who are dealing with the aftermath of Storm Ana, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your continued generosity. Please see our website www.selfhelpafrica.org  to see details of our corporate governance, our financial reports and our charity structure and how we work. If you would like to make a donation, get involved in an event or to organise an event to help us with our appeal for helping people in the aftermath of Storm Ana or just find out some more information about the work of Self Help Africa, you can do so by phoning (01) 6778880, visiting www.selfhelpafrica. org or simply send whatever you can afford to Self Help Africa, Westside Resource Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, Westside, Galway or drop me a line at ronan.scully@ selfhelpafrica.org