By Khumbo Kaliwo”
The government of Germany has provided Euro 5 million (about K6 billion) to Malawi as additional funds for implementation of the Scaling Up Nutrition (Sun) programme which Malawi has been implementing since 2011.
Speaking to journalists in Lilongwe yesterday, Germany Ambassador to Malawi Ute Konig said they have added the amount of money because 4.4 million Malawians are, according to a Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee report, likely to face food shortage— the highest figure in the past 20 years.
“No matter what, everyone deserves the opportunity to have a balanced and healthy diet. This support aligns with our goals of building resilience in food and nutrition security for everyone worldwide,” Konig said.
He said Malawi has, through the Sun Programme, made significant strides in addressing the problem of undernutrition over the past years, reducing the rate of stunting among under-five children from 37 percent in 2016 to 33 percent.
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These figures are contained in the Integrated Household Survey of 2020.
Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda concurred, saying the rate of Vitamin A deficiency in children has reduced from 22 percent to 4 percent while the rate of acute undernutrition in children is at 2.5 percent.
“We believe [that] we can end intergenerational stunting through scaling up high impact nutrition interventions across the country,” Kandodo Chiponda said
United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund Country Representative Shadrack Omol reaffirmed their commitment and readiness to continue working closely with the Ministry of Health.
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Implementation of the Sun Programme started in 2016, to the tune of Euro 40 million, and will end in December 2024.
Meanwhile, the government, through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, has started distributing bags of maize to those affected by hunger this year.
