Neno district social wel f a re of f i cer Amos Chandilanga says almost 70 percent of the district’s population at risk of hunger due to failed crops in the previous two farming seasons because of drought.
Speaking on Friday when Christian Aid and Evangelical Association of Malawi launched a food response project, he said 109 000 out of 150 000 people in the district need food aid.
details. | Mathews Kasanda
Said Zandilanga: “The hunger situation in Neno is serious. We are talking of 39 000 households that are translating to 109 000 [family] members.
“We are not expecting harvest this year, so people are really in danger. The hunger situation is hard in Neno, it is really pathetic.”
He commended the organisations for distributing cash to 2 310 families in traditional authorities (T/ As) Mlawuli and Symon.
Chandilanga, who is responsible for social cash transfer programmes, said each family will get K110 000 to buy maize, two kilogrammes of beans and two litres of cooking oil.
One of the beneficiaries, 72-year-old Agnes Kamliwo from Dayilo Village under T/A Mlawuli, said her five-member family has been surviving on piecework.
“With the current rising cost of food, we sometimes depend on wild food. But with the cash, I will now buy a bag of maize,” she said.
Christian Aid interim country director Kingsley Makiyoni said according to the data the organisation has, Neno is one of the districts affected by hunger.
“Based on that information, we decided to implement this initiative here, other than the other districts, considering the level of devastation that is Neno,” he said.
The cash transfer exercise was funded by the Scottish Government which provided 150 000 euros (about K320 million).
In March last year, President Lazarus Chakwera declared a State of Disaster in 23 out of the country’s 28 districts affected by the El Nino weather phenomenon.
