Hunger Relief Arrives for Drought-Stricken Nsanje
Doreen Maliko, a resident of Esnart village in Traditional Authority Mbenje, thanked the government for the urgent assistance.
NSANJE, Malawi- The government in collaboration with humanitarian organizations has started distributing relief maize to hunger-stricken communities in Nsanje, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
The district spokesperson Robert Nayeja confirmed the development, saying this is part of the annual Lean Season response.
He said the distribution has begun in the area of Traditional Authority Mbenje and other affected areas.
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee report states Nsanje has 29,000 households impacted by the drought.
"Over 20,000 families have been earmarked to receive relief maize and others will get 150,000 kwacha cash for three months," Nayeja said.
Doreen Maliko, a resident of Esnart village in Traditional Authority Mbenje, thanked the government for the urgent assistance.
She said women and girls were traveling to Bulwayo and Chisamba for waterplants and edible leaves known locally as nyika.
"The grain has come at the right time when I have nothing," Maliko said.
"Crops like millet, sorghum and maize have wilted in gardens due to prolonged dry spell."
The Lean Season spans from November to March when food from the previous harvest runs low before the next harvest.
Nsanje, Malawi's southernmost district, is prone to droughts that can leave hundreds of thousands facing hunger each year.