Angolan floods worsen: NetsforLife® takes lead in malaria prevention.

Apr 20, 2009

The severe rainy season in Angola has caused massive flooding along the Zambezi river and the situation is worsening as rain continues to pour.  In the Cunene province, NetsforLife® is working closely with the three districts that have been most affected by the floods: Bwanyama, Namacunde and Kuroka.  More than 2,000 people in these regions have been displaced and are currently living in temporary shelters on higher ground. Thousands of people have lost their farms and livestock to the floods.
 
The Angolan government has set up emergency response teams involving various agencies, ministries and NGOs. This response is providing long-lasting insecticide-treated nets.  NetsforLife® is the lead group in distributing the nets and is managing the prevention of malaria and cholera in the region. Using canoes NetsforLife® is reaching the displaced people to distribute emergency relief, food and nets.  So far, more than 1,200 nets have been distributed to these communities.

NetsforLife® will continue to reach these communities with nets and educational programs about malaria even after people are able to return to their original homes. In the coming months, NetsforLife® expects to receive 41,000 nets through UNICEF which will support ongoing malaria prevention work in these three vulnerable districts.