EU chief announces additional €170M drought assistance for Malawi

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides visited Chikwawa in Southern Malawi and has commended World Vision and the World Food Programme for a job well done in reaching out to families facing hunger in the country.

Talking to nearly a hundred hunger-stricken people that gathered at Andrea and Ng’ombe villages in Malawi’s Shire Valley district of Chikwawa late last November 2016, Commissioner Stylianides said he was impressed of the work. World Vision, in partnership with WFP, was doing relief assistance and undertaking other resilience programmes in the districts.

He then announced an additional package of €170 million (roughly 131 billion Malawi Kwacha) for the drought response. The EU’s commitment has raised hopes in 59-year old Malita Bernado, a beneficiary of the food aid response and complementary activities of manure making and tree planting program.

For Malita, the cash assistance she has been receiving from World Vision has been a lifeline. “It is used to buy food for my grandchildren,” she said. Malita takes care of five grandchildren, three of whom lost their parents. “Without the assistance, I don’t know how I can feed the children,” she said.

The European Union has been funding complementary activities of tree planting, backyard gardening, sanitation and manure making. These are going hand in hand with food and cash distribution. Stylianides made the remarks after a brief tour of some of the families that are benefiting from these interventions.

“Let me say a big thank you to our partners, the World Food Programme and World Vision for their good work,” he said as he encouraged the communities to support the organizations while at the same time expressing satisfaction of the partnership to help communities. Stylianides assured the people that they are not alone.

“I am going back home full of joy for your dedication”, he said as he cited WFP and World Vision’s inspiring efforts using funds from EU even in the face of challenges.

Malawi is among the worst hit in the long-running drought in Southern Africa.  According to a recent Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report, the hungry population has shot up to 6.7 million. The El Nino-induced dry spell further lowered food production. While urging other international donors not to forget Malawi’s needs, Stylianides pledged, “EU’s support will go as long as our resources will take us to meet your needs”.

Land-locked Malawi ranks 174 out of 187 among low-income countries in the 2013 Human Development Index and has stagnated for the last five years. Female-headed households experience higher poverty than those headed by men. With the majority of livelihoods dependent on agriculture, the population of this community is highly vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters.