United Nations, April 15 (IANS) UN humanitarians have issued an urgent plea to redouble support for Malawi, which is still reeling from Tropical Cyclone Freddy's strike last month."Our $71-million flash appeal for the flood response in Malawi is just 11 per cent funded," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday.It said 60 UN agencies and non-governmental organisations have supported the government-led response, including in hard-to-reach areas. As of Wednesday, the World Food Programme airlifted more than 189 metric tons of food and 300 kilogram of food used to treat malnutrition."We're also providing emergency shelter, healthcare, hygiene services, and water and sanitation facilities," OCHA said. "This is especially critical in light of the ongoing cholera outbreak in Malawi."Schools are to re-open next week. The UN Children's Find is working with the government and UN partners to support children who lost everything due to the storm, said the humanitarian office as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.In mid-March, Freddy roared into Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, lashing it with rains, and triggering deadly flooding and mudslides. Published reports later in the month said the death toll in Malawi was more than 300.
--IANS int/khz/
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