As the sun rises over Khwethemule in Thyolo District, Enala Mandala begins her daily struggle of sur-vival.
Her eyes tell a story of desperation as she grabs a sieve, rummaging through a maize sack inside her cramped shack.
Mandala’s plight has escalated throughout the years to the extent of moving out of a proper home into the shack.
She does not remember the last time she had a proper meal.
“I often go to bed on an empty stomach, wondering how I will feed my grandchildren the next day,” she says, her voice cracking with emotion.
“There is no hope. I just live a day at a time.”
Escalating prices of goods and services has worsened in preceding years so much that Mandala fails to access basic needs.
Worse still, she cannot access essential drugs when sick because they are unavailable, marred by theft and corruption.
Her husband abandoned her with one child in 2010 and she has no idea where he went.
Mandala’s only child died from the effects of Cyclone Freddy, leaving her with two grandchildren to care for.
Normally, she is helped by well-wishers in the village, but her story is not unique.
Afrobarometer survey report dated February 6 2025, titled Decade of destitution? Severe lived poverty is surging in many African countries, says the proportion of people living under severe poverty has ris-en steadily in 39 African countries, including Malawi.
The survey, conducted between October 2021 and June 2023, attributes the poverty surge to increased corruption.
It reads in part: “Exploratory studies suggest that increased corruption, but not declining political free-doms, may play a role in resurgent lived poverty.
“Large numbers of Africans continue to struggle to meet their most basic needs. Majorities report going without a cash income [81 percent], medicine or medical care [66 percent], sufficient food [59 percent], clean water [57 [percent] and cooking fuel [51 percent] at least once during the previous year.
“Indeed, the average rate of going without is now the highest ever recorded by Afrobarometer since it began its surveys in 1999. Even more troubling is the increased intensity of material deprivation, with one in four Africans reporting conditions of severe lived poverty,” reads part of the findings.
Afrobarometer measures poverty as the proportion of people who live on less than $2.15 (K3 764.65) a day, as per World Bank’s poverty line.
An October 2024 World Bank Macro-Poverty Outlook reported that people living on less than $2.15 per day remain above 71 percent, attributing the situation to food insecurity spanning three years, trade distortions, widening fiscal and current account deficits and an unsustainable debt burden.
In an interview on Wednesday, Centre for Social Concern (CfSC) economic governance programme officer Agnes Nyirongo said the Afrobarometer survey has revealed a growing crisis in Malawi.
She said Malawians struggle to get essential needs such as food, clean water and shelter, calling for ur-gent and coordinated action to reverse the devastating trend.
“The impact is severe. Corruption stifles economic growth by discouraging both domestic and foreign investment, as investors seek environments where their resources will be protected and utilised trans-parently,” she said.
Nyirongo noted that resources lost to corruption could otherwise bolster public services and infrastruc-ture such as schools, healthcare facilities and roads.
“Without these, communities remain trapped in poverty, unable to climb the ladder of development,” she said.
Nyirongo said the human cost of the situation is immeasurable as families struggling to afford their basic needs are forced to make choices; whether to buy food or send their children to school.
She said the already overstretched healthcare and education systems are further burdened, limiting opportunities for upward mobility and perpetuating cycles of poverty.
Nyirongo said the path to recovery lies in bold anti-corruption measures, targeted social interventions and sustained economic reforms.
“Long-term recovery also requires investment in economic empowerment. We recommend the Malawi Government to prioritise job creation through investments in labour-intensive sectors such as agricul-ture, manufacturing and tourism.
“Supporting small-scale businesses and informal entrepreneurs with access to affordable credit and capacity building initiatives can also unlock local economic potential. Simplifying the regulatory envi-ronment to encourage the formalisation of businesses will not only improve their prospects but also widen the tax base to fund public services,” she said.
Nyirongo outlined reforms such as debt monitoring, participatory budgeting process and government commitment to regular reporting and evaluation of national development programmes; hence, provid-ing transparency and fostering trust.
Minister of Information and Digitalisation Moses Kunkuyu was yet to respond to our questionnaire as we went to press.
President Lazarus Chakwera’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Friday also failed to tackle issues relating to the poverty situation.
