At the age of 85 and visually impaired, Fynes Semu is among the survivors of Cyclone Ana who have resettled in the new Matsukambiya Village, situated in Chikwawa district.
Living in the flood-prone district of Chikwawa, Fynes has experienced numerous disasters attributed to climate change. However, she regards the catastrophic Tropical Storm Ana as one of the most severe disasters she has ever witnessed in her lifetime. The rainstorm, which affected over 900,000 people in Southern Malawi, demolished Fynes's house located in Matsukambiya Village, under Traditional Authority Ngabu in the district.
Fynes survived this devastating cyclone. Along with other residents of Matsukambiya, she sought refuge on higher ground, watching as the rainwater wreaked havoc on their village, leaving it completely devastated. Fortunately, Fynes was selected as one of the project participants of the Malawi Early Recovery Risk Reduction and Resilient Shelter & Recovery (ER4) project.
Through this initiative, CARD and CRS constructed a transitional shelter for her, addressing her urgent housing need. The ER4 shelter and Recovery Project, funded by USAID/BHA, aims to enhance the living conditions of Cyclone Ana survivors and mitigate future disaster risks for vulnerable 770 households affected by Cyclone Ana and Gombe with transitional shelters, while simultaneously supporting shelter market actors to disseminate locally appropriate disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Nsanje and Chikwawa districts.
