Oxfam in Malawi has urged the Malawi Government to expand its social protection programmes to shield households from economic depression characterised by a rise in prices of maize and other basic commodities.
The organisation’s country director Lingalireni Mihowa made the call yesterday in Chikwawa when they launched an integrated emergency response for El Nino drought affected communities in Malawi.
Mihowa noted that many households in the country are in critical need of food as prices of maize and other basic commodities have gone up.
Said Mihowa: “We would like to urge government to continue with social protection programmes, expand them where possible and make sure that there is more support that can come because the most critical need at household level is that of food.”
Under its programme targeting people affected by drought due to the impact of El Nino, Oxfam is supporting 1 900 households with cash transfer of K140 000 each.
The organisation will also reach out to the households with K70 000 each in April this year and during the lean season in early 2026.
Oxfam in Malawi will also work with extension workers to support winter cropping to promote food security efforts.
Speaking during the launch, Chikwawa District Council chairperson Martin Goche said the cash transfer will reduce the suffering of the households affected by hunger.
“My appeal is that next time you will reach out to more people because there are many people here who have been affected by hunger,” said Goche.
One of the beneficiaries, 42-year-old Esnart Kamonjola said her family of six had been struggling to get food and sometimes relied on tubers to survive.
“Now we will use this money to buy a bag of maize,” said Kamonjola.
Last year, the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee report revealed that 5.7 million people would face hunger between October 2024 and March 2025
Since September last year, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs has been providing humanitarian assistance to the affected households.
