Malawi Food Crisis Update: Food for the most vulnerable
We had a fantastic response to our food crisis appeal, and using your generous donations, the Temwa team in Malawi has now successfully completed an emergency food distribution programme to support the most badly affected in Nkhata Bay North.
In total, 1000 households, including widows, elderly, low social economic status, those hosting orphans, and child-headed households were provided with supplies of maize and beans to help ease the extremely precarious situation and enable people to once more take part in our community development activities.
Temwa’s current plan is to implement mitigation programmes that will help the people of Nkhata Bay North to better adapt to the effects of climate change and improve their food security. Funding has been secured for this, however we would like to increase our mitigation activities and are still looking for further funding.
These programmes will provide beneficiaries with training and knowledge in sustainable farming practices, including crop diversification, to encourage greater use of drought resistant crops, as well as soil and water conservation.
Concerns around food availability are growing once more, however, as the numbers going hungry continue to rise.
A report issued by the Malawian Government in June estimates that at least 6.5 million people, or 39% of the population, will not be able to meet their food requirements this year, a 129% increase on the same period last year.
And according to the Malawian press, President Mutharika has even called on the people of Malawi to look for alternatives to the traditional maize to combat hunger, suggesting they eat mice and grasshoppers.
We received a fantastic response to our food crisis appeal, for which we are extremely grateful. To try and minimise the impact of future extreme weather events and potential food shortages, we need your support to reach as many people through our mitigation programmes.