Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support they have provided to the government of Malawi, international institutions or non-governmental organisations in response to the recent flooding in that country, broken down by organisation and amount.

The UK does not provide financial support to the Government of Malawi but we are working with the UN and our NGO partners in support of the Government’s Preliminary Response Plan. UN agencies and NGOs are the best mechanisms through which DFID can ensure quick delivery of UK aid to the people who need it most. We are working closely within the coordination structures established by the Government of Malawi and the UN to ensure our response evolves with the changing conditions on the ground. DFID Malawi will mobilise up to £4.1m to help meet the immediate needs of those affected by the floods, and to support early recovery to allow displaced persons to return to their homes and rebuild their livelihoods. Commitments so far include:

· £1m to the World Food Programme which has enabled them to supply 370,000 with food for the coming weeks;

· £665,000 to UNICEF to provide emergency water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to prevent the spread of disease in displacement camps;

· £575,000 to a consortium of NGO’s led by Concern Universal, £240,000 to the Farmers’ Union of Malawi and £30,000 through our private sector programme to provide seeds and tools to smallholder farmers whose crops have been damaged by the floods. Funding for the Concern Universal consortium is also financing the delivery of food, blankets, and household utensils to the worst hit areas in the first week of the flooding, as well as solar lighting – which is essential for the safety and protection of those living in camps – and fuel-efficient cook-stoves with sustainably harvested firewood.

· £800,000 through the UN Humanitarian Fund, in support of coordination, nutrition, protection and health activities – including support to the World Health Organisation to help prevent the outbreak of diseases and to provide reproductive health services to those living in displacement camps; and support to the International Organization of Migration to support camp management and coordination, and;

· Up to £230,000 to support UN personnel to coordinate the response.

In addition, a number of NGOs have also accessed the Start Fund, a funding mechanism for delivering rapid humanitarian assistance which is jointly funded by the UK and Irish Governments. ActionAid, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide and Save the Children have used £350,000 from the fund to provide vital resources to those displaced by the floods.

All of our partners who are directly receiving UK funds work with and through a range of national and international organisations, with strong and long-standing connections to communities on the ground.