Just about 20 Kilometres away from Malawi’s old capital, Zomba City, lies Likaka Village under Traditional Authority Mwambo in Zomba District where 23-year-old Lucy Chikumbu once believed her baby girl was under a spell.
For weeks, Sandra,13 months old, was growing weaker. Her tiny body became frail while her appetite disappeared. Terrified and confused, Lucy turned to a traditional healer as she was convinced that someone had bewitched her daughter.
“She was always sick. I thought someone had cast a curse on us,” Lucy recalled softly.
It was only when a mobile clinic by Health Surveillance Assistant Margaret Kamangira came to the village that Sandra was screened using a Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) tape.
The result was severe acute malnutrition (SAM), with an arm circumference of just 11.0 Centimetres. She was immediately referred to Matawale Health Centre, where she was enrolled in an Outpatient Therapeutic Programme (OTP), supported by UNICEF with funding from EU ECHO through Malawi’s Ministry of Health.
After seven weeks of therapeutic feeding, counselling and continuous monitoring, Sandra recovered. Lucy now understands that Sandra was not cursed. She was malnourished.
In many parts of rural Malawi, deep-rooted myths around child health still hold power. Health workers like Kamangira, who serves a population of over 1,000 households, say cases of malnutrition are often diagnosed late due to harmful beliefs.
And this year, hunger has spread wider than ever. The El Niño weather pattern brought a deadly combination of drought and floods to Malawi, leaving many like Lucy without enough harvest.
In Kungwi 1 Village, 15-month-old Flora Yohane battled marasmus twice. First at seven months and then again at 15. Her mother, 36-year-old Loveness Duwa, who has six children, says hunger has repeatedly affected her children’s well-being.
In the face of climate shocks, poverty and persistent myths, nutrition is becoming the frontline of survival in Malawi.
But for every Sandra and Flora who recovers, there are more children waiting, hidden behind closed doors, weakened by hunger, delayed by fear.
According to Misheck Mwambakulu, UNICEF’s Zone Nutrition Field Monitor for the Southern Region, Zomba’s child stunting rate stands at 41%.
“Disasters have worsened the nutrition crisis. Families can’t grow enough food, which leads to poor diets,” he says. “Since January 2025 alone, 1,605 children have been admitted for severe malnutrition out of 2,316 screened. April saw 419 new cases, and May had 191,” he added.
