Standard Bank donates K120m to support cyclone Freddy survivors

Standard Bank has donated K120 million to support the survivors of cyclone Freddy and the fight against cholera outbreak.

Officials from the bank said K90 million will go to Malawi Red Cross Society to support its search and rescue mission in the affected districts in the Southern Region while K30 million will go to the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 and cholera.

Speaking when handing over the cheque in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Standard Bank plc head of brand and marketing Nyambura Chege said this is the bank’s immediate response to the disaster and forms the preliminary stage of its humanitarian intervention as the effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy unfold.

She, however, said the bank is mindful of the need to support interventions to curb the cholera outbreak as the cases could spike because of the impact of the cyclone in the affected districts.

“In this hour of need, and like in all times of emergencies, we at Standard Bank declare our solidarity with every Malawian who has been affected directly or indirectly by these two disasters,” said Chege.

“Our belief in the long-term impact of our support has prompted us to look beyond the cyclone disaster and support interventions to curb the ongoing cholera pandemic.”

Chege explained that K90 million is aimed at alleviating the immediate burden of those injured and displaced by the cyclone.

The money will ensure that Malawi Red Cross Society is supported in its relief initiatives in the 40 camps in Blantyre, Chikwawa, Mulanje, Thyolo, Nsanje, Zomba and Phalombe, she said.

Malawi Red Cross Society secretary general McBain Kanongodza said the money will help to save lives.

He said: “This is a timely response from Standard Bank because Red Cross needs support to conduct search and rescue in affected districts.

“We have deployed teams to all the districts that have been affected by the cyclone and are working to ensure people are safe and have immediate support.”

President Lazarus Chakwera on Monday declared a State of Disaster in the Southern Region districts affected by Cyclone Freddy that has killed 190 people as of Tuesday, according to the Department of Disaster and Management Affairs.