The United Kingdom (UK) has contributed £5 million (about K10.85 billion) to efforts aimed at supporting Malawian households that are facing high levels of food insecurity.
The British High Commission says this is in response to the Malawi Government’s request for external support for its Food Insecurity Response Plan.
“The UK is providing funds for a blend of cash transfers and food distribution. UK-funded support will be distributed by the United Nations World Food Programme to over 250,000 people (56,000 households) in areas hardest hit by this year’s lean season,” it says in a statement.
This comes after, on Monday this week, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted a major Food Security meeting in London, UK, where he courted over 200 ministers, heads of international agencies, philanthropies and companies to galvanise action to reverse the trend of growing food insecurity.
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The meeting has taken place at a time the number of acutely food insecure people globally is reported to be at a five-year high.
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In his opening speech, Sunak called for immediate action to ensure the free flow of food, including by securing safe passage for Ukrainian grain, while also announcing a total of £100 million for worst-hit countries, particularly across East Africa, the Sahel, Afghanistan and those reeling from climate-related cyclones and drought like Malawi.
Meanwhile, British High Commissioner to Malawi Fiona Ritchie has said her government would reach out to those whose lives were disrupted when Tropical Cyclone Freddy made landfall in Malawi on March 11 this year.
“The UK will help poor Malawians, whose household finances and ability to feed their families has worsened significantly in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy. We will continue to support the government’s efforts to curb food price rises and shortages in order to help reduce the impact of difficult but necessary economic reforms.
“We want to help people avoid having to make difficult survival choices —such as skipping meals, selling assets or taking children out of school,” she says.
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About 4.4 million people, equivalent to 22 percent of the Malawi population, are facing acute food insecurity as the lean season sets in, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis. Half of these households are in southern districts, and over 5 percent are facing much more severe conditions than in previous years.
