Ruth is a mother of three; her kids are now 14, 12 and 4 years old. Ruth is living since the 13 March 2023, in Nyachilenda camp, Nsanje District, close to the border with Mozambique.

Few days before the devastating effects of the cyclone, Ruth received the communication that Cyclone Freddy was coming, and it was going to have serious impacts on her village. Some people of the village left ahead to find refuge with relatives, Ruth didn’t know where to go and she stayed behind with some other people of the same village. The 13th March some neighbors called her, it was time to leave, as Cyclone Freddy was coming and with very high probability was going to leave devastating effects.

Ruth with her son on her shoulders and the other two sons next to her, started walking alongside the other community members. It was a long journey, they walk long distance, they took a canoe to cross the river and they again walk for many hours, until at the end of the day, they reached Nyachilenda evacuation center.

Ruth wish to go back soon to her village, but she cannot live there now, as the house is completely destroyed and she does not have money to reconstruct it. Ruth is a single mother, the husband left long time ago in search of better working opportunities. Ruth is working on agriculture, she has her own garden where she cultivates and sell fruits and vegetables. Now her garden is also completely damaged, she doesn’t have proper food to cook nor clothes for her and the kids.

Ruth is grateful that she can sleep in Nyachilenda as she is surrounded by other people in the same conditions, however Ruth is concern about privacy and diseases, as Nyachilenda camp is big, people are living and sleeping next to each other and there are no adequate sanitation facilities. Ruth is happy about IOM support in constructing additional communal shelters, as now they will have more space to sleep and they will have more privacy.