From Scotland to Malawi: Climate Survivors Rebuild with World's First Loss and Damage Fund

Cyclone Freddy wreaked havoc in southern Africa last year, leaving a trail of destruction. Sixteen months later, 2,695 households have received unconditional relocation payments.

Gladys Austin, a climate disaster survivor, vividly recalls standing in ankle-deep water in her home last March as relentless rain poured down. Her village's trading center, school, and even the elevated chief's home were submerged. The storm decimated the sandbars on Malawi's Ruo River, where she and her husband fished, and destroyed their maize, bean, and tomato fields. Their livestock and grain, valued at 6 million kwacha (£2,700), were swept away.

Cyclone Freddy, which struck Mozambique, Madagascar, and Malawi, was the longest-recorded tropical storm in history. After five weeks of devastation, Austin and the 5,000 residents of Makwalo village in Malawi's southern Nsanje District had lost everything. Village chief Meke Nkhandwe ordered everyone to evacuate, and Austin's family reluctantly moved to Namiyala refugee camp, about six miles away, after squatting in their flooded home for nearly three months. Their attachment to their land and concerns about camp conditions delayed their departure. "I was in shock, but eventually had to keep moving for us to survive," Austin says.

According to the government's post-disaster assessment, Cyclone Freddy killed 679 people and displaced 659,000 in southern Malawi, causing $506.7m (£394m) in damages and economic losses. Nsanje District, with 20,000 households destroyed, was one of the hardest hit areas.

At Namiyala, a primary school turned makeshift camp, over 10,000 displaced people from the greater Makhanga area struggled to survive. The Malawian army and Red Cross provided limited supplies, and the camp faced outbreaks of trachoma, cholera, and malaria. "Staying at the camp was hard, since we're used to having our own space, and there it was chaos," says Twaya, Austin's husband.

By October, an 80-hectare site was identified for a new village for the displaced. Sixteen months post-cyclone, Austin's family now lives in a brick home in new Makwalo, a marked improvement from the plastic-covered shack they initially occupied. Many neighbors have similar brick houses, surrounded by chickens and stalls selling tomatoes and fried fish. Austin and Twaya are adjusting, working as casual laborers, while their children attend school and the district council and Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) have built a borehole.

The couple was among 633 Nsanje households to receive the world's first climate survivor loss and damage funds through cash transfers. Payments of $750 were distributed over three months, part of a fund launched by the Scottish government at COP28 in 2023 and facilitated by the US nonprofit GiveDirectly. This support enabled 2,709 households to relocate, with 2,695 already paid and 14 awaiting approval. The funds had no strings attached, allowing Austin and Twaya to buy materials for a new house. "If it weren't for the transfers, we would still be living [in a shack] under that tree," Austin says.

 

Climate change has exacerbated extreme weather events in regions like Nsanje, creating cycles of displacement. Charles Kalemba, commissioner for DoDMA, stresses the need for relocation to build resilience rather than responding to annual emergencies. In May, DoDMA began collaborating with the US Army Corps of Engineers to map flood-prone areas, aiming to complete the project by August 30. So far, about half of the 20,000 households in Nsanje District have been relocated, with assistance from organizations like GiveDirectly, Gift of Givers, UNHCR, Red Cross, and Goodwill Ambassadors.

"The west has an obligation to assist us to repair, recover, and build resilience," Kalemba adds, urging the UN to mobilize resources beyond pledges. Elizabeth Fred, another Makwalo resident, hopes to return to fishing once the river stabilizes, but for now, she and her husband work as casual laborers. She occasionally tends to the remnants of her farm, driven by optimism despite the challenges.

These efforts mark a significant step towards rebuilding and resilience for climate disaster survivors in Malawi.