The United States (US) Government has released $7 million (K12 billion) for mitigating the impacts of the El Nino phenomenon that scorched at least one million hectares of crops, mainly maize, in Malawi.
The dry weather condition, which affected 23 of the country’s 28 districts, has made more than two million farming households food insecure, forcing President Lazarus Chakwera to appeal for local and international aid.
US’s money, which has been donated through the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), brings its total humanitarian assistance to Malawi to nearly $55 million (K95 billion) from October 2022.
Announcing the support in Blantyre Tuesday, USAid Malawi Mission Director Pamela Fessenden said it is key for people to respond to food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs resulting from the climatic condition.
Fessenden said the assistance supports the World Food Programme (WFP), Unicef and other non-governmental organisation partners to provide urgently needed food and agriculture assistance and improve access to safe drinking water.
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“The US government, through USAid, was already working in many of the communities affected by El Nino, which helped our partners quickly mobilise additional support,” she said.
Fessenden added that the support will enable WFP to provide unconditional cash transfers for food assistance to about 300,000 people and 54,000 refugees and asylum seekers.
“Additionally, Unicef will assist more than 60,000 Malawian primary school children with hygiene kits, safe drinking water and protection services. It will also reach to 10,000 severely malnourished children with ready-to-use therapeutic food,” she said.
WFP Country Director Paul Turnbull said the assistance will go a long way in meeting the urgent needs of the affected people.
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“This is a substantial contribution and so we are very happy to receive the help from the United States, which has been a major contributor to our activities in many aspects,” Turnbull said.
Deputy Director responsible for Disaster Preparedness at the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Fedson Chikuse, hailed the US for the support, saying it would help them counter the effects of El Nino.
