Life after cyclone Idai: in pictures

When Cyclone Idai hit Malawi, thousands of families saw their homes and livelihoods get washed away.

We worked with our partner Habitat for Humanity to provide emergency shelter in Malawi for families affected the most. Have a look at how they used our tools and materials to start rebuilding their homes and their lives.

Families whose homes swept away showed great resilience and strength, building temporary shelters with the few materials they could salvage so they could feel safe again.

We visited several villages and camps within the Chikwawa district in southern Malawi. One of the villages was completely swamped by the flooding with homes flattened and buried in mud, forcing the whole community to abandon it.

The flooding devastated livelihoods. Most people were making a living through farming, but all of their crops were destroyed.

We provided shelter kits to families who lost their homes, as they’d already started building shelters. The kits helped to make their structures significantly stronger, providing increased protection from the weather.

Working through the challenges


In Malawi, whole villages were cut off, communications were down and many areas were still submerged by storm-driven floodwaters just weeks after the disaster hit.

The challenges were huge, but we managed to fly the aid in the country, thanks to the support we received from our Rotary partners, Habitat for Humanity and the World Food Programme.

Nearly 2,000 families received shelter kits, water filters, and carriers, mosquito nets, solar lights, and blankets. That’s around 10,000 people with a place to call home thanks to your support.

Find out more about Cyclone Idai and how we responded.