A total of 69,497 families in Mulanje alone are set to receive maize relief from Government following President Chakwera’s resolve to rescue thousands of families that are facing hunger crisis across the country.
According to a report by Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee, 5.7 million people are facing hunger in the country.
The hunger situation in Malawi has been compounded by extreme weather disasters of drought (in the northern region) and devastating floods (in the southern region and some parts of central and northern lakeshore regions).
On 23 March, Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera declared a State of Disaster in 23 out of Malawi’s 28 districts affected by El Niño conditions.
The Government’s preliminary assessment revealed that close to 2 million farming households and 749,000 hectares, representing 44 percent of the national crop area were affected.
In his deliberate efforts, President Chkwera called upon development partners to join Malawi Government in responding to the imminent humanitarian crisis threat of severe hunger. Recently, the president escalated his request to the UN General Assembly from which development partners including the World Food Programme, a UN agency, have swiftly responded with the much-needed aid.
The food distribution task has begun immediately with beneficiaries in southern district of Mulanje starting receiving the relief aid on Sunday, 8th October 2024, marking the commencement of a five-months period of relief outreach expected to end in February next year.
