26000 households set to get relief food in Chitipa

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has embarked on a food distribution exercise to food-insecure households in Chitipa District during the 2023/24 lean season.

In Chitipa, Dodma is expected to reach out to 26 000 households with relief maize.

Speaking on Saturday during the launch of the distribution exercise at Kasisi Village in Senior Chief Mwabulambya’s area, Dodma commissioner Charles Kalemba said the exercise will run from January to February 2024.

He said: “Several households in this district are food-insecure following a prolonged dry spell and stormy weather which affected agriculture activities in the just-ended year.

“The food distribution will help people to have food during the lean period so that they can concentrate on working in their fields instead of going for piecework.”

Kalemba suggested to Chitipa District Council officials to consider investing Constituency Development Fund in irrigation farming to enhance food security in the district.

He also urged traditional leaders to advise people against cutting down of trees for charcoal to promote environmental conservation to reduce natural disasters.

Chitipa District Council director of administration Clement Gonthi commended Dodma for the food distribution initiative.

“People will have something to eat during the lean season. Children will concentrate in school with limited absenteeism, thereby promoting quality education,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Hanna Malanga of Kafora Village, said the maize will go a long way in saving her family from hunger.

She pledged not to sell the maize so that it should serve its purpose.

Besides distributing maize, Dodma is also disbursing money to food-insecure households to buy food during the lean season.

Malawi Government through Dodma rolled out the implementation of the 2023/24 Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Programme in October 2023 targeting 4.4 million food-insecure people in the country.