Kaliati calls for help for hungry stricken families
Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Patricia Kaliati has called on the corporate world to help people facing hunger in different parts of the country.
She said this Friday in Mulanje when she received maize and cash worth K15 million from Open Spaces Company on behalf of people from Traditional Authority Juma in the district.
Said Kaliati: “We commend Open Spaces for the donation. Government is only reaching out to 15 percent of people in the targeted districts with food assistance. So, there are a lot of people left behind.”
The minister further bemoaned the tendency of ill-treating or killing the elderly on suspicion that they practise witchcraft, urging the villagers to report such perpetrators to authorities.
Open Spaces director Mwachumu Chipala said through the donation, they targeted to reach out to more than 700 elderly people in the area.
“We are concerned with the welfare of the elderly; hence, the donation. This is part of our corporate social responsibilities. Going forward, we plan to reach out to more of the vulnerable population to help uplift their lives,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Alfred Sumani, 87, hailed Open Spaces for the donation, which he said will alleviate the hunger situation in his household. Last year, the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee report indicated that 3.8 million people or 20 percent of the population will face hunger in this lean season, between November to March across 27 districts.
