The World Food Programme (WFP) has raised alarm over a critical funding gap of $34.2 million (K54billion), warning that the shortfall threatens hunger relief efforts.
This revelation, made in WFP’s November 2024 country brief published on Boxing Day, comes as 5.7 million Malawians face acute food insecurity due to an El Niño-induced drought.
Of those affected, WFP is expected to provide food aid to two million people.
However, without immediate financial support, the United Nations agency cautions that the hunger situation could worsen during the peak of the lean season, which extends until March 2025.
“By the end of November, WFP provided food assistance to 1.3 million people, of whom 208 000 received cash-based transfers.
“However, a gap of $34.2 million remains to be able to provide this assistance,” the report states.
For refugees, WFP highlights that “53 000 refugees [60 percent women] received assistance equivalent to a ration of 75 percent of the food needed” in October.
The agency warns that “current funding levels will allow WFP to maintain a 75 percent ration until March 2025, and additional resources are urgently needed to sustain this critical support beyond that period.”
On malnutrition, the report noted a troubling rise in cases: “Moderate acute malnutrition [MAM] cases increased by 284 percent in October 2024 compared to the same period last year.”
This surge is attributed to “food insecurity caused by the El Niño-induced drought” and mass screenings conducted at the district level.
Since September, WFP has provided MAM treatment for over 16 000 children aged between six and 59 months in four districts.
Additionally, the report highlighted the importance of school feeding programmes.
Reads the report: “As part of the El Niño emergency response, WFP will extend its provision of emergency hot meals to over 256,000 students until March 2025.”
Furthermore, “from January 2025, WFP will begin distributing take-home rations to approximately 90 000 learners.”
The revelation comes a month after President Lazarus Chakwera also revealed that government faces a K89 billion shortfall in relief food supply.
In his national address on November 27 2024, the President said: “Of the K347 billion target needed to secure enough food for the 5.7 million people in need of assistance, we are still short by K89 billion.”
Chakwera highlighted the ongoing efforts to address the crisis, stating: “With the assistance we did receive, we have been making food and cash distributions in the affected districts, delivering to each affected household either a 50kg bag of maize or K70 000 to purchase food from the market.”
However, he acknowledged that there are still 1.2 million people waiting for support, emphasising the need for continued international cooperation to meet the challenge.
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) in July this year projected that the number of people in need of food aid would increase from 4.2 million to 5.7 million during the lean period from October this year.
In its report on the 2024/25 harvest season, Mvac, a multi-stakeholder grouping, also projected an escalation in food prices, especially during the lean season.
