A lay Christian movement, the Community of Sant Egidio, on Saturday donated 500 kilograms of maize flour and 150 kilograms of beans to Zomba Maximum Prison to complement the facility’s efforts to provide adequate food to the inmates.

The donation comes at a time where Malawi is experiencing an economic crisis after being hit by 44 percent devaluation of its currency.

Veronica Nyirenda, who is responsible for the community of Sant Egidio’s prison services in Malawi, explained that the donations were a result of news that food had become scarce in prisons, with Zomba Maximum Prison being the worst affected.

Nyirenda said it is imperative that various sectors of the economy should support the government in meeting food and nutritional needs of the inmates.

“For a society to be rich, it has to take care of the poor and for it to be invulnerable, it has to take care of the vulnerable people,” she said.

In his acceptance remarks, the Assistant Commissioner for Prison Services, Geoffrey Tembo, appealed to public to imitate the gesture by the Community of Sant Egidio, which continues to render help to the less-privileged people in Malawi.

The donated food supplies were sourced locally and some from the community in Rome Italy.