Crisis in Malawi: What can you do
Scottish charities have joined international aid organisations in launching emergency appeals to help millions of starving people in Malawi.
Southern Africa's worst drought in 35 years, caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, has left estimates of up to 6.5 million people hungry due to failed crops and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Malawi is one of the worst affected countries and its government has declared a state of national emergency.
Oxfam Scotland is calling for donations to urgently support communities, many of whom are on the brink of starvation.
The first £70,000 donated by the public to its campaign will be matched pound for pound by the Scottish Government's International Development Fund.
I spoke to family after family who have already run out of food so soon after their harvest, who really do not know how they will survive the coming months.
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow
Head of Oxfam Scotland, Jamie Livingstone, said: “Scotland has a deep and long-lasting connection with Malawi and we are urging people here to give what they can to support Malawians at this critical time.
“The Scottish Government has generously offered to match donations from the public up to £70,000 – so any donations made by Oxfam supporters in Scotland will have twice the impact.
“Hunger isn't inevitable. Lives can be saved and livelihoods restored in Malawi. But we must act together now to ensure that help reaches those who desperately need it.”
Mary’s Meals which provides meals to 800,000 Malawian children through its school dinners project, has launched its Crisis in Malawi campaign.
It is appealing for donations so that those who already depend on its school feeding programme can continue to be fed, and it can expand its reach to even more children, in the most chronically food-insecure areas.
The southern districts, where Mary’s Meals has a major presence, are worst hit.
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, the organisation’s founder and chief executive, has just returned from Malawi – which was the country where the charity first began its work amidst the devastating famine of 2002.
He said: “I am appalled at the suffering of the people at the centre of this deepening crisis. I spoke to family after family who have already run out of food so soon after their harvest, who really do not know how they will survive the coming months.
“There is real desperation in many rural areas, but I also heard repeatedly that Mary’s Meals was their one certainty.
“The promise of a daily school meal has never been more important in Malawi and we are determined to maintain that promise to the hundreds of thousands of children already benefitting and to find a way to reach even more schools in the worst-affected areas.”
Christian Aid Scotland has called for donations to help address the immediate food crisis.
The charity has released an initial £70,000 of emergency funds to support 1,000 families in Nsanje – one of the poorest regions. This will help families pay for water, meals and other essential supplies.
Public donations to its appeal will also be match funded up to £70,000.
A spokesperson for the charity said: “Our partners have worked in Malawi for many years, helping communities to improve their harvests.
“Through the Scottish Government’s climate justice fund, we’ve provided farmers in Nsanje with solar-powered irrigation schemes to combat the effects of climate change.
“However, the present food crisis is jeopardising all the progress we have made, leaving communities more vulnerable than ever. Hunger today is starving Malawi of its tomorrow.
“Give now. Help us address the immediate food crisis and continue to boost the longer-term resilience of communities in Malawi.”
EMMS International, a Christian international healthcare charity based in Edinburgh is calling for support to help the most vulnerable, particularly orphans, people living with disabilities or HIV, prisoners and the elderly.
Money donated to it, which will be match funded by the Scottish Government up to £20,000, will be used to support Mulanje Mission Hospital, Nkhoma Mission Hospital and Livingstonia Synod AIDS Programme (LISAP) to respond to the needs of their communities.
It says just £36 could feed a family of six for three months.
Mphatso Nguluwe, director of LISAP said: “Imagine, homes, crops and all that people had is gone. Some people have also lost their lives.
“Disease is looming and there is a poor harvest this year even without the floods. This means the food crisis in the country will continue into next year.”
The Scotland Malawi Partnership, which is a civil society network set up to help support links between Scotland and Malawi, says the country could be facing one of the worst famines in recent history.
Its response to the crisi has so far involved working to brief its members; coordinating efforts; providing members with relevant advice; encouraging increased government response; supporting public fund-raising; and raising awareness in the media.
A spokesperson for the partnership said: “We continue to be deeply concerned about the worsening food security situation in Malawi.
“This should be a time of comparative plenty in Malawi, soon after harvest. But the rains have been poor and many of our partner communities are already down to just one meal a day, with the situation only set to worsen in the coming months.
“We will continue to do everything we can to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our friends in Malawi through this most difficult time.”
