By Innocent Kalikokha:
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) has reiterated that laws will be applied to any local leader found demanding a share of relief items from beneficiaries under this year’s food distribution programme.
Dodma Director of Preparedness and Response, Moses Chimphepo, issued the warning in Nsanje District during an interface meeting the commission held with stakeholders.
Chimphepo explained that the programme is intended to benefit those who cannot afford to purchase maize on the market.
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“Normally, during this period, some local leaders force people to share their items, which is not the thing we desire.
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“The same applies when we are using cash; some leaders demand to be given part of the money that beneficiaries have received, which is also not allowed,” Chimphepo said.
He further cautioned authorities against sexually abusing women who are to be registered as beneficiaries of the programme.
“Women are sometimes subjected to abuse, including gender-based violence or sexual harassment, where an individual in a leadership position may try to engage with a woman to qualify her as a beneficiary of the programme,” Chimphepo said.
Traditional Authority Nyachikadza of Nsanje said he would ensure that malpractices do not occur in his area during the relief food distribution exercise.
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Nsanje is one of the districts in the country that has been heavily affected by hunger in the wake of extreme phenomena, namely dry spells induced by El Niño earlier this year and floods from Lake Malawi due to heavy rains in parts of Tanzania, Mozambique and the Northern Region.
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee indicates that the district has over 36,000 households in need of food support during the lean period spanning October 2024 to March 2025.
Across the country, approximately 5.7 million people are acutely food insecure.
Meanwhile, partners such as the World Food Programme are complementing government efforts by distributing relief food items to hunger-hit households in various parts of the country.
