Irish Aid Rapid Response Corps deployment with UNICEF

Evin flashcard testing in Botoman village, Kadyamba Island, TA Mololo, Nsanje.

In March 2019 Cyclone Idai swept across Southern Malawi damaging or destroying more than 280,000 homes. Irish Aid deployed one of their Rapid Response Corps members, Evin Joyce, to help UNICEF establish reliable 2-way communications and feedback systems with the worst-hit, most isolated and most vulnerable communities affected by the cyclone.

Evin's six month deployment involved working with more than 20 communities, including many who lived on remote islands regularly affected by flooding.

Children using school in an envelope flash cards.

Pre-school nursery volunteers on these islands came forward as very well-placed and enthusiastic conduits to help get centralised information e.g. weather warnings to and throughout their communities quickly, and they volunteered to provide feedback and channel complaints to UN and government ministries about the greatest needs their communities faced and any issues with assistance they were (or were not) receiving in times of crisis.

Ensuring these people's voices are heard in distant cities where decisions are taken is one of the most important ways to improve the effectiveness of the funding and operations that aim to help them.

Women of Kathebwe GVH, Zomba, complete their expenditure lists.

Evin's deployment concluded with the presentation of this 'Community engagement strategy and action plan for last-mile flood-affected communities in Southern Malawi' to UNICEF-Malawi's management team for its further development and integration within their ongoing programmes.

BCC nursery, Nyachikadza Island, Nsanje.