| Overview : The Government of Malawi Department Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA), has worked to mitigate two major natural disasters: a lean season (October 2018 – April 2019) and a flood caused by a cyclone in March 2019. In collaboration with its partners, DODMA wants to assess the responses and present actional recommendations to improve future responses. Every year Malawi experiences an annual food security lean season. Findings from the MVAC 2018 identified over 3.3million people in 27 districts to be food insecure However, due to the delay in approving the final MVAC figure, the GOM conducted a once-off maize distribution to 432,000 people. In October 2018, the Government of Malawi and its partners developed a 6 months lean season response plan. The lean season response was led by the Government and supported by partners. In the course of responding to the lean season, the southern region of Malawi, experienced heavy rains and was hit by Cyclone Idai on the 8th March 2019. The heavy and persistent rains led to severe flooding in most districts in southern Malawi. More than 868,900 people were affected, including more than 86,980 displaced, with 60 deaths and 672 injuries recorded according to the Government. The Government of Malawi declared a national emergency a three months Emergency Response Appeal. This review, including a synthesis of findings from previous reviews/evaluations, will be important in generating lessons/recommendations that DODMA and partners can take on board to improve and strengthen government leadership in the design, implementation and coordination of disaster responses. |
