Malnutrition in Malawi Worsens Ella Chikwangwala, 35 years old, has lost five children to hunger. She lives in Malawi's Lilongwe district, one of the areas hit hardest by the current food crisis. CARE recently began distributing food in this district, targeting the most vulnerable families to save lives. This month, Ella began receiving rations through CARE and has seen her health improve with a corn-soya blend of porridge. Her remaining child, 7-month-old Chisomo, is severely malnourished and the local clinic has recommended that he be referred to a Nutritional Recuperation Unit. A growing food crisis in a number of southern African countries, including Malawi, is hitting children hardest. In response, CARE is promoting a number of strategies to halt starvation. Working with Village Relief Committees to identify those most in need, CARE is distributing food and helping communities strengthen long-term development activities to break the hunger cycle that all too often leads to death. CARE is also working with people living with HIV/AIDS and orphans as Malawi approaches its peak "hungry season" early next year, when food supplies and assets are exhausted ahead of next year's harvesting season. Ella recalls last year when her legs and arms bloated because of extreme hunger."I know people's legs and arms will start swelling by December," she said, sadly. "The price of maize is so high, people can't afford it." CARE's interventions are helping families avoid selling off livestock or other assets in order to purchase food now. On-going food-security strategies include supporting community gardens in the normally dry season to improve people's access to food; intensifying irrigation to increase crops next year; and rehabilitating dams, constructing canals and applying conservation techniques for soil and water. CARE also is expanding our successful Village Savings & Loan approach to more areas to enable participants to increase their income levels. Participants of CARE Village Savings & Loan groups are almost always less affected by food crises because they have built up cash reserves to help them cope. The program has proved so successful that CARE has introduced the VS&L methodology to six other nongovernmental organizations in Malawi. The immediate food crisis is blamed on poor rainfall in the last planting season, coupled with a loss of productive assets that were sold to buy food. Also, the general health of the majority of Malawians who live in rural areas and depend on agriculture has deteriorated. The reasons include HIV/AIDS, which has affected 20 percent of the population. Malawi's President Bingu Mutharika has declared all of the country a disaster area, acknowledging that this is first time in three years that all 28 districts of Malawi have been struck by severe food shortages at the same time. CARE is working in three districts, and is in discussions with the World Food Program about expanding into others.
Media Contacts:
South Africa: Kenneth Walker , CARE, +27 11 234 1221, +27 82 336 8312
Atlanta: Lurma Rackley, CARE, +1 404-979-9450
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