Ireland Doubles Funding to Provide K800 million towards Malawi’s COVID-19 Response
News
01 May 2020The Irish Government has allocated a further MWK400 million (€500,000) via UNICEF doubling the overall Irish response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Ministry of Health, to date Malawi has recorded 37 cases, 7 recovered cases, 27 active cases and 3 deaths.
Irish Ambassador to Malawi Gerry Cunningham said:
“I am pleased that through our partnership with UNICEF we have been able to provide additional funding towards Malawi’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This supplements earlier grants from our Headquarters and the Embassy to support partners in Malawi who are responding to some of the immediate needs in the Government of Malawi’s Response Plan. It is my hope that, together with funding from other European Union partners, this support will strengthen Malawi’s health systems to prevent, contain and treat COVID-19 infection”.
The MWK400m grant to UNICEF will support the establishment and staffing of standard Emergency Treatment Units (ETUs) in Mangochi and Karonga. These ETUs are expected to cater for a total of 1,000 people with moderate to severe cases of COVID-19. Ireland will also support the provision of PPE and other essential equipment to strengthen screening and contact tracing at the Points of Entry in both Districts.
Working with Malawi Red Cross and Story Workshop (SWET) some 800,000 people will be reached with messaging on public health and on countering fake news.
Ireland’s international development policy prioritises humanitarian needs and increasing “funding and capacity for rapid response to sudden onset crises” such as COVID-19’’.