“We don’t take your support for granted”

When the rains and flooding from Cyclone Idai came through the Mulanje District in Malawi, one side of their house started getting wet so Kalisto Rular and his wife moved their eight children to the other side of the house.

When the winds changed direction, they decided to leave altogether and headed out to stay with neighbours.

When the last of the family stepped outside, the house collapsed before their eyes.

Kalisto and his wife had been farming two acres of land, but they also lost their crops when everything was washed away.

The family moved from the neighbour’s to a temporary camp at the local school where they stayed in crowded conditions with 150 other people for six weeks.

But their goal was always to go back home and rebuild, which was hard to do when they had no livelihood.  Kalisto had to do piece work (either building bricks or farm work) and his wife would fetch water and firewood in order to make a little money to feed their family.

Thanks to funding from the Humanitarian Coalition and the government of Canada, Presbyterian World Service & Development, a member agency of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, began providing essential food supplies to 2,000 vulnerable families, including Kalisto.

Through the project, Kalisto and his family received maize flour, beans and cooking oil for four months. They also received maize and vegetable seeds to help them grow their own food in the longer term.

“I am grateful for the help I’ve received,” he says. “Thank you for your support. It’s something we don’t take for granted.”