Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (Cadecom) has disbursed money to 432 families facing hunger in Chikwawa District.
The intervention is a response to food shortage the district is facing due to El Nino which affected crop production in the 2023/24 growing season.
Speaking in an interview, Chikwawa diocese director of social services Father Mathews Semba said the families, from traditional authorities Mulilima and Katunga, received K100 000 each to buy food during the lean season.
He said the diocese used the unified beneficiary register (UBR) to identify vulnerable people that have not benefitted from other initiatives.
Chikwawa District Council disaster risk management officer Charity Machika commended Cadecom for the gesture as it complements government’s efforts in providing relief to vulnerable households during the lean season.
She, therefore, appealed to beneficiaries to use the money for its intended purpose.
A beneficiary Patricia Diverson from Kajawo Village in T/A Mulilima, expressed satisfaction with the support.
“I did not harvest anything because the district experienced prolonged dry spells. I will now be able to do other activities because I will have food,” she said.
Diverson said Chikwawa traditionally experiences two weather extremes, droughts and floods, as such, it is difficult to get a bumper harvest with rain-fed agriculture.
Besides the cash transfer, Cadecom will support Chikwawa District Health Office with Likuni Phala for malnourished children in the district.
The 2024 Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee Report indicates that at least 5.7 million Malawians will be food-insecure during the lean season.
Caritas Korea through the Episcopal Conference of Malawi supported the cash transfer.
