People from the area of Traditional Authority Dambe in Mchinji can at least afford a smile thanks to the food distribution program being championed by the government of Malawi through the World Food Program and technical support rendered by the country’s Civil Society Organizations like the Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM), Concern Universal, World Vision, just to mention a few.
CADECOM which falls under Catholic Secretariat’s Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) is implementing the program in Mchinji district through CADECOM’s Lilongwe Diocese.
A visit to Mchinji by this reporter during a verification exercise for the beneficiaries of the program, Traditional Authority Dambe who was visibly seen as an excited traditional leader commended government for rolling out the program in his area of jurisdiction where he said a lot of people are suffering due to the hunger that hit the area as a result of the prolonged dry spells.
“I have nine group village head men and over 200 villages around my area of jurisdiction but I must admit to you that my people are really suffering. However, I would like to thank government through CADECOM for at least coming to our rescue by distributing to us various food items,” said Traditional Authority Dambe
Gladys Sitima,a mother of six children from Kathobwa village in the same area of Traditional Authority Dambe was all smile when a team of CADECOM’s Food Distribution Officers visited her dirrabilated house to confirm and verify whether she was indeed qualifying to benefit from the program or not.
“I have six children plus myself we are seven and I have nothing to feed my children since I never realized enough food during the last growing season. The development has resulted to my children’s failure to go to school as you know an empty stomach cannot attentively listen to the lessons in class,” said Gladys Sitima, 41.
Gladys was however quick to thank government through CADECOM for coming to her rescue saying she can at least afford to feed her family with the little she receives from government.
“Already I have received a 50Kg bag of Maize, 10 kg packet of Beans and Soya respectively and 5 liters of Cooking Oil. I and my children can now afford a smile with these item because I had no where to go and ask for food. All what I can say is thanks to government and CADECOM and may they do the same to the other need persons, “she said.
CADECOM’s projects coordinator, Annie Kachere who was part of the team which was verifying for the real beneficiaries to the program said the program which had its first distribution exercise of food items in October is going on well despite some few challenges that have been encountered.
She said the verification exercise has revealed that some traditional leaders were not honest enough in choosing the beneficiaries.
For instance, Kachere said Village Headman Kayembe who has ten cattles and can afford to feed his family included her wife as a beneficiary yet there are a number of needy families that could benefit from the program.
“Can you imagine, a village head who has everything at his house decides to issue a card to his wife so that she should be benefiting from the program. However, during our verification exercise we came to realize that this village headman (Kayembe) has two wives and what he did is to issue two cards to each of the wife,a development which is unacceptable at all,” said Kachere
She said the cards were immediately withdrawn from the two wives to the village head and later replaced them with two other needy families.
“We have replaced the card which belonged to Mrs Linet Sikelo,wife to village headman Kayembe with Nancy Chikuse,a single parent who has five children and has no any food in her house.Actually,we went to her house to verify and found out that she really deserve to benefit from the program,”said Kachere.
Meanwhile, Traditional Authority Dambe has warned that he will punish each and every traditional leader who is involved in corrupt practices over the program.
He also challenged his subjects especially those that are benefiting from the program not to sell any of the items that they are receiving
CADECOM is implementing the program in Mchinji following the Malawi Vulnurability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report which revealed that prolonged dry spells and floods that hit the country during the 2012/2013 growing season, resulted to poor harvests in many districts of the country.
According to the National Secretary for CADECOM, Carsterns Mulume , due to the low crop harvests and coupled with an increase in cost of food items such as maize prices which ranges from MK60 to MK150 per kilogram, the MVAC stipulates that a total of 1,461,940 people in the 21 districts which includes Mchinji district will be food insecure hence require 57,346 Metric tones of maize equivalent.
He said the Food security assessment that CADECOM conducted through focus group discussions in the district, a number of effects have occurred resulting from the food insecurity such as the reduction in number of meals taken per day.
He said reduction in number of meals taken and quantity per day has the potential to compromise food intake; the affected households may not be able to meet the 2100 kcals per person and per day as recommended by the Sphere Project for the normal persons and 2400 kcals per person and per day as recommended by the World Health Organization for the immune compromised person.
“With the proposed targeted relief Food assistance to the vulnerable population affected, it is anticipated that lives of the food insecure population will be saved. In addition, their livelihoods will be protected,” said Mulume.
He added, “Their nutrition and food security situation will improve through consumption of received food items as the consumption of the received or purchased food items will contribute towards the meeting of the food requirement”
Apart from the distributed food items that CADECOM, intends to distribute the organization will also promote seed planting, provide capacity building in risk reduction and climate change adaptation and mitigation, strengthening capacity of the targeted population to mainstream disaster risk reduction in their development efforts so as to contribute towards building their resilience.
He said the targeted population will develop community oriented action plans to prevent and prepare for different hazards and disasters associated to be caused by floods and droughts among others.
A review of the past five Vulnerability and Food Security assessment reports by MVAC shows that Mchinji district for the past years has not been affected by natural disasters such as droughts and floods and has not been affected district as far as food insecurity and vulnerability is concerned.
CADECOM is the relief and developmental arm of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, an assembly of eight Catholic Bishops in Malawi.