President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has stressed the need for collaboration in reconstructing Malawi, which is healing from the devastating effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

Speaking when his Chakwera Presidential Charity made a donation of assorted items to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) in Lilongwe on Monday, President Chakwera stated that the damage the cyclone made is too huge for an economy like Malawi.

“What Tropical Cyclone Freddy has done to our country is nothing short of devastating. It is so devastating that it will take years to reconstruct what has been damaged. It is so devastating that some of the losses we have suffered may never be recovered. And it is so devastating that any recovery or reconstruction will require that we all work together to move toward a future that is more prepared for the climate shocks we will undoubtedly face going forward,” said the President.

He said it is against this background that he launched Operation Tigwirane Manja last month as a mechanism for building a nationwide coalition of organizations, companies, individuals, and government agencies committed to working together to bring relief to those that have been adversely affected by the disaster.

The Malawi leader disclosed that the number of the affected now stands at over two million, which is one-tenth of the country’s population.

However, President Chakwera stressed that it is not just the Southern Region that has been affected despite it remaining the epicenter of the devastation.

“Presently, there is also climate change devastation unfolding in Karonga, and I myself will be going there next week to inspect the drought and flooding that has affected Malawians there as part of the response we are coordinating. No matter where the climate change events are taking place, the urgent need of the hour is for all of us to work together in bringing relief to all of those affected according to their immediate needs, while we continue preparing our national recovery and reconstruction plan for rollout in the near future,” said Chakwera.