By Sheminah Nkhoma
President Lazarus Chakwera on Monday met the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) delegation at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe where the federation pledged more support towards humanitarian response during disasters in the country.
Speaking to the media, IFRC Secretary General Jagannath Chapagain said the meeting with Chakwera was important, adding that IFRC wants to build a strong relationship with the Malawi Government and chart the way forward, regarding how to prepare before a crisis hits.
“As Red Cross Society, we want to work together with Malawian communities but before going to those areas, we thought it wise to meet with the President of Malawi, as he is also the patron of the Society, to highlight on how we can continue to support the nation.
“We want to support people who were affected by natural disasters like Cyclone Freddy, which hit thousands of lives in Malawi and also we want to work much on community resilience, particularly focusing on climate crisis,” said Chapagain, who is also IFRC’s Chief Executive Officer.
Commissioner for Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), Charles Kalemba, appreciated the effort the Red Cross Society shows when a crisis occurs, citing the managing of camps where the affected people live during disasters.
“As DoDMA, we work very closely with Red Cross in most disaster issues. During crises we depend on them as first responders to such situations; they are a very important partner to DoDMA as well as to the Government of Malawi,” said Kalemba.
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