On
a hot summer’s day in the remote village of Chimpholi,
in Kasungu district, 150km north-west of Malawi’s capital,
Lilongwe, more than 100 orphans aged two to 10 are gathered
at a community-based childcare centre. They look as though they
come from one big family. Their clothes are dirty, their small
bodies frail. Instead of getting excited at the sight of visitors
as usually happens in a normal group of children, they just
stare blankly.
In spite of their weakness, they respond to their teacher’s
instruction to sing a song "zikomo ambuye mwatizutsa"
(thanking God for looking after them through the night). Later
their teacher announces that their food is ready and that they
should queue up for porridge. One by one they pick up a plate
containing a handful of porridge. They sit outside under a tree
to eat the porridge with their fingers.
Although it is his first meal of the day, Yohane Chabwera, six,
is worried. “Sindinakhute,” he says, “I didn't
have enough - am still hungry”.
Yohane had to share his meager porridge with seven other orphans.
This is life for many children in Malawi following a drought
that has left more a third of the population qualifying for
food aid. Food aid seems to be the only hope for Yohane and
many other children in Malawi.
A visit to Yohane's home bears testimony to the magnitude of
the food crisis. Although his grandmother - his guardian since
his parents died of AIDS-related illnesses two years ago –
does her best, there is no food in the house.
“The only proper food today and for the rest of the day
is the porridge we had at the childcare center,” says
Yohane in a faint voice.
“Otherwise we rely on mangoes,” he explains, adding
that, when the mangoes are green his grandmother would first
cook them and later squeeze them to eat the juice as porridge.
They never eat such food during good times.
“Sometimes it is very bitter and I just eat it because
my grandmother tells me that if I don’t eat, I will die
of hunger,” he adds.
Emmanuel Masongola, Malawi Red Cross project officer for Kasungu,
says there are more than 300 orphans in this area alone whose
plight has been made worse by the food shortage.
Wanting to help hungry children, most of whom are orphans, community
leaders used to give them food at Chimpholi childcare centre,
which is attached to a health post that was established by Malawi
Red Cross, with support from the Netherlands Red Cross.
But due to the current food crisis, local leaders are now unable
to donate food, as they can no longer afford to feed their own
families.
John Zuze, a teacher at Chimpholi childcare centre, says the
food insecurity is worsening.
“We can give the children less and less food now, and
there is really nothing that we can do to change the situation.
“Our main concern is that these children may end up destitute
and unable to attend school due to hunger. That will have a
very long-term impact on the development of the country.”
The food shortages in Malawi are a result of the high cost of
farm inputs and, above all, erratic rainfall during the last
farming season. Soaring maize prices have put this staple out
of reach of many people. The situation has been aggravated by
long-term poverty and the impact of HIV and AIDS. As a result,
many communities suffer from hunger.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, six million Malawians
require urgent food aid. The government responded by establishing
the Feed the Nation Fund and declaring a state of national disaster,
in October, resulting in the United Nations, European Union,
the United Kingdom and the World Bank pledging more than USD
100 million.
The problem has reached a critical point, with unconfirmed reports
that more than 35 people have died of starvation.
Malawi is the first priority for the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which, on October 18,
launched an emergency appeal seeking CHF 39.4 million (USD 30
million) to assist 1.5 million people for nine months (until
the next harvest). Besides Malawi, the other countries in the
appeal are Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and
Zimbabwe.
The World Food Programme estimates that 12 million people in
these seven Southern African countries need food aid.
Along with providing food, the International Federation appeal
will contribute to longer-term food security with water projects,
and agricultural assistance such as starter kits with seeds
and fertilizer.
In Malawi, the Malawi Red Cross has already started distributing
food in six of the country’s 29 districts, with support
from the government and the United Kingdom’s Department
for International Development. The Red Cross is targeting 61,096
households (about 336,000 people) in Karonga, Chitipa, Rumphi,
Nkhotakota, Salima and Kasungu districts. As well as looking
after families’ immediate needs, the programme is expected
to increase food security in the future, because it also includes
repairing irrigation systems.
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| Yohane
Chabwera, age six, centre, says he is still hungry after
eating porridge distributed at his childcare centre. He
shares a plate of porridge, enough for one child, with
seven others. (p13460)
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| Millions
of people in Malawi are dependent on food aid, such as
this maize distributed at Nkato in the southern town of
Chiladzulu, 50km east of Blantre. (p13462)
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| This
field of dry maize crops, which failed because of the
drought, is an indication of how bad the sitaution is
in Malawi. (p13463) |
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