Hunger stirs desperation

It is festive season again when people the world over make merry and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day on December 25 and New Year’s Day on January 1.

But for communities in most rural areas in the country, who are among the 4.4 million of the estimated 20 million population Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) projected to be food insecure, it is a moment of hopelessness as they are not sure of where their next meal will come from.

In the ensuing desperation, they are resorting to seasonal fruits, mostly mangoes, or maize and rice bran (madeya) to survive as hunger hits hard.

During a visit to Mtakataka in Dedza District on Tuesday, The Nation found scores of women, both young and old, at a place called Kayigoni who have set up a round-the-clock camp in search of some rice from the bran at a maize mill.

We counted 43 women who had camped at the rice mill for hours, but got too little of the rice even after working so hard.

The scramble for the bran is funny yet so emotional. Eight to 10 women are given an opportunity to try their luck, winnowing the bran. When time is up, regardless of whether they got something, they are ordered out of the space amid resistance and pleas for more time.

Cecelia Christopher, a mother of four who is leader for the group of women, narrated: “We come here every day and sometimes sleep here as long as the mill is working so that we get some rice from the bran. You have to work the whole day just to get some little rice enough for porridge just to keep us going.”

Her role is to ensure that each of the women get equal opportunity to access the bran. She said the fierce competition to access the bran disadvantaged the old.

Belina Bauti, a seemingly old lady who cannot state her age, heaped praise on Christopher’s role which allowed her have some access to the bran and get some rice.

In an interview both at the mill and her home, she was emotional and wondered why God has allowed them to suffer. She looks after her fairly old husband who is paralysed and four grandchildren.

Tearfully, Bauti said: “Look at my husband. He has not taken anything since morning, we have no mangoes. Nothing! I have to spend the whole day at the mill just for him and my grandchildren.”

Her story mirrors the experience of the other women we spoke to at the mill who indicated that they have been surviving on maize bran which is not easily available now due to high demand for the same.

Dedza East legislator David Bandawe (Malawi Congress Party) said he was aware of the hunger situation in his area and hoped that the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) will come in quickly with humanitarian support.

In a separate interview, Dedza district commissioner (DC) Thomas Chigwenembe also confirmed that the Mtakataka situation was not an isolated case as it was a widespread problem in the district.

He said from next February, the hunger-stricken households will receive two bags of maize each. This means that the camping at the mill is likely to go on as long as the bran is available.

Information corroborated by The Nation correspondents as well as district authorities, traditional leaders and community members in Karonga, Salima, Mangochi, Thyolo, Chikwawa and Neno districts reveal the same misery.

Village head Kamaliza from Senior Chief Chimaliro in Thyolo said his subjects survive on anything from bran to mangoes as maize is simply not available.

The chief said while he has heard of government distributing maize to hunger-affected households, his people are yet to be reached even when the situation is dire.

Thyolo DC Hudson Kuphanga said hunger was a widespread concern in the district, but said Dodma has started providing humanitarian support and so far 18 000 households have benefitted out of the targeted 52 000, representing 35 percent.

The Nation correspondents in Karonga, Zomba and Mangochi districts painted a similar gloomy picture.

In Mangochi, a 50 kilogramme (kg) bag of maize is trading at K50 000 while in Karonga it is at between K38 000 and K40 000, making the staple grain unaffordable to many.

“People here are struggling. Previously, they were depending on mangoes, but since the mangoes are finished, they are sleeping on an empty stomach” said Alex Amadu from Mpilipili Village, Traditional Authority Makanjira in Mangochi.

Mangochi DC Smart Gwedemula said government is already reaching out to hunger-affected households with support.

Group village head Tchuka of Chisi Island in Zomba District said his people were surviving on mangoes or anything they can find to eat until this month when each household received a 50 kg of maize contrary to his request to district authorities to provide four bags per family to run from December to March.

In a written response, Dodma spokesperson Chipiliro Khamula said since October this year they are reaching out to 4.4 million food-insecure people in all the districts based on the Mvac  annual food security assessment report.

He said said while  priority is on districts that were hit by Cyclone Freddy such as Machinga, Mangochi, Mwanza, Neno and Zomba, councils are advised to notify them where the situation is dire for immediate response.

 “But councils have been advised to formally write the department where the situation is so dire,” he said. n

Additional reporting by ayamba kandodo, holyce kholowa and Jordan-simeon phiri, Correspondents