1419 families get relief maize in Lilongwe

Lilongwe District Council has distributed relief maize to 1 419 households in Traditional Authority Kalumba in the district.

The maize distribution is an ongoing exercise to mitigate against the impact of hunger among Malawians during the 2023/24 lean season.

Malawi Government through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) rolled out the implementation of the 2023/24 Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Programme in October 2023.

The initiative followed the 2023 Malawi Vulnerability  Assessment Committee Report that indicated that at least 4.4 million Malawians are food-insecure during the lean period.

Speaking on Tuesday during maize distribution at Mtenthera Distribution Point, group village head Funachina thanked the government for the initiative, saying his subjects were sleeping on empty stomach since they did not harvest much last year due to the dry spell.

“I am happy to see this exercise happening in my area today. This will go a long way in reducing hunger among people, especially women and children,”he said.

Funachina called on his subjects to use the maize for the intended purpose, saying anyone who will sell the maize to vendors will be prosecuted.

One of the beneficiaries, Mtima Lyson, assured that she will use the maize for its intended purpose.

“My family has suffered a lot during the lean season and I cannot sell the maize. Now I will be able to do other activities instead of looking for piecework to buy food,” she said.

Lilongwe district risk management officer Anganire Kalonga said government through Dodmawill reach all vulnerable people in the district with relief food.

The exercise in Lilongwe District will run for four months from November 2023 to February 2023.

Besides giving people food, Dodma is also giving others money through cash transfers to buy food during the lean period.