Barely a day after the World Food Programme (WFP) rolled out lean season cash for food distribution in Phalombe, the UN body has distributed food to vulnerable households in Nsanje.
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee Report indicates that over 4.4 million people in Malawi face starvation due to the devastation caused by Cyclone Freddy in most Southern Malawi districts and the dry spell in the northern region. Against this background, WFP is here in Nsanje to provide Maize to 29,442 food-insecure households in Nsanje.
Chief Administrative Officer for Nsanje, Rotina Mlombwa, said the maize means a lot since Cyclone Freddy also washed away irrigation schemes. She expressed gratitude to WFP.
According to Mlombwa, Nsanje, with a population of 327,000, is one of the hardest-hit areas.
“On 13 December distributions started at Mankhokwe ADMARC for beneficiaries from the traditional authorities Nyachikadza and Ndamera,” said Mlombwa.
One of the beneficiaries, Arumindo Gushita aged 65, hailing from Monyo Village was all smiles after getting his bag of maize.
“I can’t wait to eat msima today. For a while, my family survived on sweet potatoes day in and day out. I thank WFP for their support. May they continue supporting us until the next harvest,” said Gushita.
Another beneficiary Dorothy Mawindo, 63, of Mulemba Village said the maize is an answer to and will alleviate food challenges in the area.
On his part, Group Village Headman Mphampha of Ndamera thanked WFP, saying the food would give them strength to work their farms. He pleaded for continued support as many households are food insecure.
“This year’s lean season is critical with many households being food insecure, so we had to help Nsanje urgently,” said WFP Country Director Paul Turnbull.
WFP donated with support from its partners, including UKAID, USAID, UN CERF, Norway, Canada and Germany. This year WFP launched the lean season cash and food distribution exercise in Phalombe District.
#mbcmw
#mbconlineservices
#mbcnewslive
