Catholic Bishops thanks Scottish Government for providing food crisis support to Malawi
Few days after releasing the Pastoral Letter, the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) – an association of the Catholic Bishops in Malawi – has thanked the Scottish Government (SG) for providing a £250, 000 (approximately MK452 million) grant towards supporting families affected by hunger in Malawi.
The financial support has been provided through the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) and the Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM) also known as Caritas Malawi.
Addressing journalists in Zomba on Wednesday, Bishop of the Diocese of Zomba and Bishop Chairman for Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM), Right Reverend Alfred Chaima, said the grant will help CADECOM implement a cash transfer initiative in nine districts of Chikwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe, Zomba, Machinga, Karonga, Dedza, Nkhotakota, Dowa and Mzimba.
He said the cash transfers are aimed at assisting hunger-stricken families to buy foodstuffs during the lean period.
Bishop Chaima stated they are planning to reach out to 4, 520 families with cash transfers of MK100, 000 to each household to aid them with food during this lean season.
This is in addition to 8, 000 households, which CADECOM supported with relief items in the Southern Region, including food, using a grant from the Scottish Government.
“The Scottish Government was also very instrumental, having supported us with two hundred thousand British pounds. We are deeply grateful on behalf of our people! In the same vein, the Scottish Government has recently supported us yet again with an amount of 250, 000 British Pounds to support the worst hit households by the current food crisis during the months of February and March 2024,” said His Lordship.
He said with the cash transferred, the Catholic Church in Malawi is assured that the families will be able to buy assorted food items to support their health and nutritional needs.
Bishop Chaima disclosed that the Catholic Church in Malawi is working together with relevant government departments in all the target districts to avoid duplication with similar initiatives undertaken by other partners, including the government.
“It is with sincere gratitude that I come forth on behalf of my fellow Bishops in Malawi to make this statement as a gesture of appreciation by the Church and many people in need that will benefit from the support. The bible in Deuteronomy chapter 15 verse 11 says “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”
“In diversity we are but one people created in the image of God and it is only prudent and just to take care of each other. The Holy Father, Pope Francis also emphasizes the need to take care of the poor and those in need. The Scottish Government has led by example by providing such enormous support to communities at risk of food insecurity in Malawi,” he said.
Bishop Chaima took advantage of the press briefing to remind the world about the persistent climate induced disasters that Malawi and its neighbouring countries have faced in recent years.
Last year, Malawi experienced one of the worst disasters ever, Cyclone Freddy affecting approximately 2, 267, 458 people (1, 110, 639 males, 1, 156, 819 females this includes 234, 729 people living with disability) representing 11 percent of the Malawi population.
Many people were displaced and over 200 people were reported dead. Most of the affected communities were already suffering impacts of Cyclones Idai, Ana and Gombe that had hit the country in the preceding season.
This also came amid an outbreak of Cholera and Covid 19 earlier. Consequently, there have been detrimental effects on production on a country that is heavily dependent on agriculture with the majority in subsistence farming. People are living in uncertain times grappling with ways to mitigate the impacts. These calamities have left people in a state of hopelessness.
Bishop Chaima said following the Cyclone Freddy disaster, ECM through its development arm, CADECOM, also known as Caritas Malawi, launched an emergency appeal through Caritas International to mobilize resources for humanitarian support.
“We, however, recognize the fact that the needs on the ground are enormous as per reports in various media platforms. With such a situation, we will continue reaching out to our various partners for more support to sustainably restore the livelihoods and strengthen resilience of the affected households and communities,” he said, while stressing that as people strive to recover from the devastating effects of the Cyclones and the dry spell, the country faces yet another imminent uncertain season due to El Nino.
He warned that Malawi is on the verge of experiencing one of its worst food insecurity crises.
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