Mwenewenya challenges community leaders to champion Right to Food campaign

Traditional Authority (T/A) Mwenewenya of Chitipa has challenged community leaders to triple their efforts in sensitizing and promoting the right to food among people, stressing that this is key in combating hunger and malnutrition in the district.

Mwenewenya made the sentiments following revelations that his area is registering an unprecedented rise in stunting, currently hovering around 50.8 percent, beating the national rate at 37 percent, according to the National Statistical Office (NSO).

The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of the Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops (MCCB), through its Diocese of Karonga Diocese, conducted to identify the causes of stunting and undernutrition in Chitipa.

Speaking at a community engagement, which CCJP organized the engagement with financial support from a German organization – Welthungerhilfe (WHH) on Friday, Mwenewenya emphasized the need for traditional and community leaders to shape community norms around food and nutrition, which are essential for coping with seasonal shocks and ensuring food security for all members, especially during times of scarcity.

“I therefore challenge you to take advantage of your influence, established norms, and role in resource distribution within your communities,” he said, emphasizing the need for the chiefs and community leaders to act as mediators, educators, and enforcers of community rules, ensuring access to food and resources, particularly for vulnerable populations.

During the engagement, community members reviewed, validated, and provided input on the Right to Food Manifesto, which they intend to present to contestants for the September 16 General Elections.

And speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting at Karonga Boma on Thursday, Principal Agriculture Officer for Chitipa District Council, Steven Msopole, describing the high rates of stunting as worrisome, calling for collective efforts to address the problem.

Msopole expressed his council’s commitment to scaling up interventions to combat stunting and malnutrition in the district.

CCJP Right to Food Assistant Programme Officer, Stella Zimba-Wella, said the project was initiated to highlight barriers to right to food and brainstorm on possible solutions to the problems.

Zimba-Wella said the three-year project will, therefore, increase awareness on the right to food among communities and households and their role in holding duty-bearers accountable.

Meanwhile, the Chitipa District Civil Society Organisation Network Chairperson, Patrick Ziba, has welcomed the findings of the survey, describing them as an eye-opener for both government and the civil society.