Barely a few days after distributing free food to 52, 000 survivors of Tropical Cyclone Freddy in Thyolo, the government released MK495 million for the Social Cash Public Works Programme (SCPWP) in the district.
The District Commissioner (DC) Hudson Kuphanga confirmed in an interview on Tuesday that government has intensified efforts to provide humanitarian support to the survivors.
Thyolo is one of the beneficiary districts and, as Kuphanga explained, his office has already distributed 52, 000 bags of maize to the food insecure households.
“And we are waiting for 60, 000 maize flour from DoDMA to continue on the lean season. This initiative is helping a lot in saving families from starvation in this district,” said the DC.
Since Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit the country, President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has been assuring the 4.4 million Malawians facing starvation that no one will die of hunger as his government is working round the clock to ‘source enough food for everyone’.
Apparently, most farmers lost their crops to the ravaging waters. They did not yield enough to last for months.
This prompted President Chakwera to direct the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) to start distribution of free food to the affected families under the 2023-2024 MVAC [Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee] Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Programme.
