Mwanza District Council has rolled out government’s intervention of free maize distribution in a move to rescue the most vulnerable households that are food insecure in the district.

The intervention comes after the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) 2022/23 report which found that many households in the district are food insecure.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Sunday, Mwanza District Council Disaster and Risk Management Officer, Ivy Cham’mudzi said about 8444 households in the district have been targeted to benefit from the government’s programme.

“We advise them not to sell the food they have received so that their households should not suffer from hunger,” said Cham’mudzi.

She also deplored the tendency by some people in the district who are fond of not working hard in their fields but would rather bank their hope on relief food items from well-wishers saying such behavior would make their households suffer as relief items are unpredictable.

Cham’mudzi also explained that the food distribution is government’s response following 2022/23 MVAC report which indicated that about 38000 people translating to 8444 households would suffer from hunger during the lean season in Mwanza due to Cyclone Freddy. among other contributing factors which affected the district during last growing season.

The Unified Beneficiary Registry was used as selection criteria to come up with the total number of 6586 rightful household beneficiaries based on MVAC report, while 1858 households were identified through Social Cash Transfer programme.

Each household beneficiary is being given a 50 Kilogramme bag of maize and the first distribution was conducted in November 2023.

Mijoni seated on his tricycle expressing his gratitude while his guardian picks up his bag in presence of a council official in reflector. Pic by Brian Wasili — Mijoni seated on his tricycle expressing his gratitude while his guardian picks up his bag in presence of a council official (in reflector). Pic by Brian Wasili

Linios Mijoni, a beneficiary from Chikolosa Village in the area of Inkosi Kanduku Maseko hailed government for considering distributing the food in the district saying it will rescue the beneficiaries from hunger.

“I am also particularly excited with the system of using UBR as selection criteria to come up with the list of the beneficiaries because it does not favour anyone,” said Mijoni.

He advised his fellow beneficiaries not to misuse the food they have received saying such tendency frustrates the government’s efforts.