Benard Msukwa to be Assisted with Disaster Resilient Housing
By Noel Chatepa
In 2024, prolonged and heavy rains in Karonga district led to over 911 households being affected by the rains with many being displaced, crops and houses being damaged. In the previous year 2023, over 182 households were affected by the rains and people in the area of T/A Wasambo were some of the most devastated.
Through the Climate Just Communities project which CADECOM Karonga is implementing with funding from Scottish Government through DAI Global UK, the most affected households from T/A Wasambo were identified to assist them with the construction of disaster resilient housing and Bernard Msukwa a 70-year-old farmer from Mazungumika village in T/A Wasambo was one of the people who were greatly affected by the heavy rains.
“The house I was staying in before this one collapsed due to the heavy rains, so I’m confined here. It’s not ideal, though; the plastic sheets I used for the roof are all gone; all that’s left is the grass thatching,” Msukwa reflects.
He adds, “I have tried applying for the social cash transfer program two times but I was always left out so you can imagine my joy when I heard that I had been selected by CADECOM as one of the people who will benefit from these houses that will be disaster resilient. In order to contribute MK70,000, I sold cassava from my farm. With this money, I was able to purchase sand and mold bricks for the house. CADECOM is going to supply the remaining materials, such as cement, iron sheets, and the masons who will build it. I am also very grateful to the community as they have assisted me in the moulding of bricks and gathering of sand for the construction”.
Due to the mountainous terrain of Mazungumika village, water overflow is common during heavy rains, causing numerous homes to be submerged or washed away. One way to lessen the impact of these extreme weather events is to construct resilient housing in strategic locations. The local community has also undertaken the initiative of planting trees to prevent water-runoff.