ROME, 25 September 2015 (UN News Service): More than 2.8 million people will face hunger in the coming months in the worst food crisis in a decade in Malawi, where a staggering four out of every 10 children suffer from stunting (hæmmet vækst og mental udvikling), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned Friday.
“WFP is less than 25 per cent funded for the 81 million US dollar (485 mio. DKR) relief operation that lies ahead”, says WFP Representative for Malawi Coco Ushiyama, adding:
“Additional contributions are urgently needed”.
WFP is financed entirely by voluntary contributions from governments, companies and private individuals.
“(On top of that) a recent Cost of Hunger in Africa report for Malawi estimated that stunting, which at 42 percent is among the highest in the region, costs the already poor nation nearly 600 million dollar (3,6 milliarder DKR) annually,” the agency said.
Sælger husdyrene
“People in some affected districts have already started selling their livestock to make ends meet,” WFP said.
“Women are also engaging in more firewood and charcoal selling, which degrades the environment and further aggravates the fragile climate.”
“The floods early this year were the worst in living memory in Malawi, washing away homes and food stocks, and ruining fertile land,” WFP stated.
“Some crops managed to withstand the floods only to succumb to intense dry spells in the following months, making survival even more difficult for the most vulnerable.”
“Since the end of last year, WFP has provided relief assistance to avert hunger in households hit by poor rainfall during the 2013/14 growing season and the floods in early 2015. This operation has reached more than one million vulnerable people”.
Rammer hele nationen på lang sigt
WFP also said a swift response is imperative to save children’s lives and prevent worsening undernutrition, particularly stunting among children, which limits cognitive development (mentale evner og tilegnelse af viden), and has far-reaching effects on health and productivity over a lifetime.
The WFP announcement comes a day after an appeal to the international humanitarian community made by the President of Malawi Peter Mutharika at the launch of the National Food Insecurity Response Plan on Monday.
