Crisis in Malawi: your two-minute guide

Agriculture is the largest economic activity in Malawi, but in March, Cyclone Idai ripped through Malawi in south eastern Africa, affecting over 840,000 people and destroying crops, land and livelihoods. 

The immediate focus of the international community is on relief and recovery in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai; but we will have to pivot swiftly to rehabilitation, long-term recovery and building people’s resilience to future shocks.

On the night of 15 March, the poorest communities in Mozambique lay directly in the path of one of the most violent cyclones to hit the Southern Hemisphere in living memory.