Hunger had never been an issue for 85-year-old grandfather Fabiano and his family. Living near the banks of a river in Chikwawa, Malawi, they cultivated crops such as maize and beans on their two and half acres of land. Then Cyclone Idai hit – bringing heavy rains, strong winds and flooding.
On the night of 9 March 2019, Fabiano noticed water starting to enter his house. ‘I called to my wife and we tried to figure out what was happening,’ he says. ‘We could see the roof of our house being blown off.
‘Just outside our house there was an anthill and we decided to run there as it was on a higher ground.
‘My wife held onto me the whole night as we heard screams and shouts from other villagers, but we were not sure what was happening.’