LILONGWE  – Last week, the U.S. government announced $4 million in new funding to respond to Cyclone Freddy prevent cholera. This includes $2.5 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to help accelerate an end to the cholera outbreak in Malawi. The new funding comes in response to the Tithetse Kolera (Let’s End Cholera) campaign launched in February by President Chakwera, and builds on USAID’s long-standing partnership with Malawi to strengthen the health system and save lives. 

With the new funding, USAID will build on its partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Government of Malawi to provide life-saving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to more than 250,000 people, including approximately 127,000 children, in Nkhata Bay, Rumphi, Nkhotakota, Salima, Nsanje, Chikwawa, Zomba, Machinga, Blantyre and Mangochi districts. UNICEF plans to rehabilitate water and sanitation facilities in health facilities and schools, supply essential cholera prevention materials, and engage communities with cholera prevention messages. These interventions will target communities with a high cholera burden, as well as areas where water infrastructure has been damaged by Cyclone Freddy.

“The new $2.5 million builds on USAID’s longstanding support to Malawi,” said USAID acting Mission Director, Anna Toness. “We are proud to partner with UNICEF and the Government of Malawi to accelerate our joint effort to end cholera.”

Since Malawi’s cholera outbreak began in 2022, USAID has supported the cholera response at the national level and in 14 districts of Malawi. Prior to this announcement, USAID support included more than $1.2 million to reduce transmission and provide life-saving treatment to patients. USAID's Interventions include support for response coordination at the subnational level, cholera commodity management, rehabilitation of boreholes, distribution of water purification sachets, and contact investigation, among other efforts. As the road toward ending the cholera outbreak progresses, USAID will continue to work with our partners and the Malawian people to eliminate this health threat as quickly as possible. 

 

 

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A man in a red jumpsuit smiles while holding a large cardboard box labeled "Aquatabs" in a warehouse
A warehouse worker loads boxes of water purification tablets for delivery to communities in Malawi. The tablets, which are distributed by UNICEF in partnership with USAID, are used to purify drinking water, which reduces the risk of cholera and other water-born diseases.
UNICEF