The Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Authority (Magla) has given Mangochi Municipal Council 5, 000 bags of maize flour and other relief items worth K200 million to support people of Mangochi district who have been affected by flash floods.
In an act of benevolence to mankind and as a matter of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Magla’s donation was given out as quickfire response to appeals of cries of the affected people in the district after rising water levels in Lake Malawi and its only outlet, Shire River over-stream flowed and subsequently destroyed the people’s households, livestock leaving tens of thousands displaced and destitute.
Apart from the 5,000 bags of 25 kgs maize flour, the betting regulator also donated 50 tents to those who need shelter and also social cash transfer of K50,000 to 500 people to alleviate the suffering of the people in the district.
Magla Director General, Rachel Mijiga, speaking after presenting the donation to the Mangochi Municipal Council said: “Our aim is to help relieve the victims’ suffering following the natural disaster. We were told that some relief items that were donated by the Department of Disaster and Management (Dodma) did not reach out to everyone, so we are here to fill up the gaps. We sympathize with the people who are going through hard times as a result of the flash floods.”
Mijiga said they visited Mangochi not as just representatives of an organization, but as fellow human beings moved by the plight of ‘our brothers and sisters affected by the recent floods in Mangochi’.
“The devastating floods have not only taken a toll on our homes and infrastructure but have also deeply impacted our spirit and resilience. In times like these, it is crucial for us to come together as a community, to support and uplift one another. It is in this spirit of unity that we at MAGLA have mobilized resources to provide relief items to those affected by this disaster,” said Mijiga adding that the relief items will be distributed to affected people around Mangochi boma all the way to Cape Maclear.
Receiving the donation on behalf of the beneficiaries, Traditional Authority Mapira thanked Magla for the timely donation, saying the relief food will cushion the suffering of the people.
“I thank Magla for the maize flour. My subjects are going through a difficult time. They lost everything to the floods and rising lake waters. They need help, and this donation will go a long way in easing the suffering,” he said.
Mangochi Municipal Council representative Kenneth Chimombo said: “The maize flour will ease the council’s burden in taking care of the victims, some of whom are seeking shelter in public facilities. We are grateful to Magla for this timely donation.”
“We hope other companies will follow Magla’s gesture of good will to come here and donate more basic needs items,” Chimombo added.
About 3,090 people from 525 households along the lakeshore have been displaced by the flooding caused by the swelling lake.
MAGLA is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament charged with the responsibility of licensing of Gaming and Lotteries in the country.
The organization has the power to regulate all gaming and lottery activities and is tasked to undertake some ancillary and operational functions associated with these principal roles.
MAGLA was formed from a merger between Malawi Gaming Board (MGB) and National Lotteries Board (NRB).
The Authority’s mission is to regulate the Gaming and Lotteries industry to promote a positive social economic impact.
