Hunger to hit Malawi due to the overflooding of January 2015
By: Mphatso Thole
In January 2015 when I wrote about the flooding alert after the President of Malawi declared the country as the state of disaster on January 13, 2015, it did not come as a surprise when Peter Mutharika again while departing at Kamuzu International Airport for United Nations meeting in United States of America, made the declaration of the looming hunger that is going to affect about 3 million people in the country.
On September 21, 2015 the President of Malawi made a request to well wishers to support the country which is going through a long term suffering due to the over flooding that shook Malawians in the history of the country.
One of the political scientists who writes on Political Economy in Malawi, Blessings Chinsinga stated in his page on Sunday Times Newspaper of September 27, 2015 propounding that the population of Malawi is either 15 or 16 million but only 500,000 Malawians pay tax on a monthly basis. And he said the story is simple as these five hundred thousand Malawians are squeezed to subsidize the livelihoods of either 14.5 or 15.5 million compatriots.
With poor marketing investments, Malawi makes below average of Value Added Tax (VAT) from investors required to support the national budget hence with little expectations to collect enough revenue of supporting in disaster management.
As the country is healing the wounds of the over flooding, it is at the same time expecting the 500,000 same people with the same small tax supporting the hungry souls especially the vulnerable including the malnourished children, widows and the aged.
It is no secret that because of poor resources to predict and prepare for the disasters that may come again, who knows, many Malawians are depending on the powers from God not to face the same scenario of which hundreds people lost their lives early in 2015.
According to the President and other sources, 25 districts out of 28 in Malawi will be affected and those which were heavily overflooded in January are the worst hit.
Although the Malawi Food Reserve Agency tried to warn people of not selling maize, it is very saddening that due to poverty that is growing among many Malawians the situation forced many people to sell the little they had in the same way creating more problems as far as the hunger is concerned this year.
October to March of every growing season is a period of food reduction as this is the time most Malawians dedicate their resource including money to buy farm products. It is the time most micro agribusiness people work on their small-scale farms hence little time to look for food.
As the beginning of this document states that almost halve a million people of Malawi pay tax, this is the statistic of people who are working and within it are a few people doing large scale businesses, which in this case not sufficient for Malawi revenue to feed its many people as it depends on a few who pay tax.
In a statement released on September 28, 2015 Mahimbo Mdoe, the country representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) raised concerns over severe malnutrition in children especially those under the age of five, in the coming months following the looming hunger.
Having three meals a day in Malawi is a recommendation from health sectors for improvement of nutrition especially to children. It is unfortunate that signs of reduced meals to once a day is being noticed in most communities.
It is in this case that very fearful with the current food insecurity, and the reduction in meal frequency, that is likely to happen, children will be further at risk from both severe acute malnutrition, and common diseases, such as diarrhea and pneumonia.
There is an influx of young people migrating from the rural areas coming into cities to look for employment as a way of survival for them and their parents/families.
If these young people don’t find what they need, most of them join stealing gangs, seek for human traffickers may take them to foreign countries like South Africa.
As most young men who fail to secure jobs become notorious thugs, girls and young women are venturing into prostitution.
With a snap short visit in the city of Lilongwe of over a population of one million, street children could be noticed begging for food to people driving their cars. Worse still other children would be seen tampering with unprotected garbage sites searching for food.
With the current signs and more information trickling from various districts, it is alleged that the 2015/2015 growing season will repeat the scenario that happened in 2001/2002 when many people died of starvation.
In 2001 men and women in the rural areas were collapsing while working in the few rich farms even before they complete the work to receive food.
Many children died of malnutrition and some of the current children who were born during that time of hunger (2001) have signs of stunted growth due to lack of food values when they were under five of age.
With the current situation the future of Malawi generation is at risk as most under-five children raised during this time when the country is facing food crisis will face the similar challenges years to come and that will contribute to poor development of the country.
With this background, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM) through the office of the Bishop is appealing to companions and partners to once again commit this country into the hands of God and support towards hunger situation so that the church takes part in helping the country to save its people from the disaster.
By: Mphatso Thole
In January 2015 when I wrote about the flooding alert after the President of Malawi declared the country as the state of disaster on January 13, 2015, it did not come as a surprise when Peter Mutharika again while departing at Kamuzu International Airport for United Nations meeting in United States of America, made the declaration of the looming hunger that is going to affect about 3 million people in the country.
On September 21, 2015 the President of Malawi made a request to well wishers to support the country which is going through a long term suffering due to the over flooding that shook Malawians in the history of the country.
One of the political scientists who writes on Political Economy in Malawi, Blessings Chinsinga stated in his page on Sunday Times Newspaper of September 27, 2015 propounding that the population of Malawi is either 15 or 16 million but only 500,000 Malawians pay tax on a monthly basis. And he said the story is simple as these five hundred thousand Malawians are squeezed to subsidize the livelihoods of either 14.5 or 15.5 million compatriots.
With poor marketing investments, Malawi makes below average of Value Added Tax (VAT) from investors required to support the national budget hence with little expectations to collect enough revenue of supporting in disaster management.
As the country is healing the wounds of the over flooding, it is at the same time expecting the 500,000 same people with the same small tax supporting the hungry souls especially the vulnerable including the malnourished children, widows and the aged.
It is no secret that because of poor resources to predict and prepare for the disasters that may come again, who knows, many Malawians are depending on the powers from God not to face the same scenario of which hundreds people lost their lives early in 2015.
According to the President and other sources, 25 districts out of 28 in Malawi will be affected and those which were heavily overflooded in January are the worst hit.
Although the Malawi Food Reserve Agency tried to warn people of not selling maize, it is very saddening that due to poverty that is growing among many Malawians the situation forced many people to sell the little they had in the same way creating more problems as far as the hunger is concerned this year.
October to March of every growing season is a period of food reduction as this is the time most Malawians dedicate their resource including money to buy farm products. It is the time most micro agribusiness people work on their small-scale farms hence little time to look for food.
As the beginning of this document states that almost halve a million people of Malawi pay tax, this is the statistic of people who are working and within it are a few people doing large scale businesses, which in this case not sufficient for Malawi revenue to feed its many people as it depends on a few who pay tax.
In a statement released on September 28, 2015 Mahimbo Mdoe, the country representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) raised concerns over severe malnutrition in children especially those under the age of five, in the coming months following the looming hunger.
Having three meals a day in Malawi is a recommendation from health sectors for improvement of nutrition especially to children. It is unfortunate that signs of reduced meals to once a day is being noticed in most communities.
It is in this case that very fearful with the current food insecurity, and the reduction in meal frequency, that is likely to happen, children will be further at risk from both severe acute malnutrition, and common diseases, such as diarrhea and pneumonia.
There is an influx of young people migrating from the rural areas coming into cities to look for employment as a way of survival for them and their parents/families.
If these young people don’t find what they need, most of them join stealing gangs, seek for human traffickers may take them to foreign countries like South Africa.
As most young men who fail to secure jobs become notorious thugs, girls and young women are venturing into prostitution.
With a snap short visit in the city of Lilongwe of over a population of one million, street children could be noticed begging for food to people driving their cars. Worse still other children would be seen tampering with unprotected garbage sites searching for food.
With the current signs and more information trickling from various districts, it is alleged that the 2015/2015 growing season will repeat the scenario that happened in 2001/2002 when many people died of starvation.
In 2001 men and women in the rural areas were collapsing while working in the few rich farms even before they complete the work to receive food.
Many children died of malnutrition and some of the current children who were born during that time of hunger (2001) have signs of stunted growth due to lack of food values when they were under five of age.
With the current situation the future of Malawi generation is at risk as most under-five children raised during this time when the country is facing food crisis will face the similar challenges years to come and that will contribute to poor development of the country.
With this background, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM) through the office of the Bishop is appealing to companions and partners to once again commit this country into the hands of God and support towards hunger situation so that the church takes part in helping the country to save its people from the disaster.