World Food Programme

WFP IN MALAWI

WFP started its first operation in Malawi in January 1965. The mission of the World Food Programme is to support communities in reducing their food insecurity and vulnerability to external shocks and natural disasters. The main role of WFP in Malawi is to contribute to disaster mitigation through the improvement of household food security in highly vulnerable areas of the country. The disaster mitigation programmes have a safety net initiative, which addresses chronic and structural poverty and targets areas with acute food deficiency thereby addressing transitional poverty.

WFP is currently implementing three programmes:

Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation

WFP assists people in southern Africa who are vulnerable to food insecurity and the impact of HIV and AIDS through this regional operation. This programme has a relief and recovery component. Activities include: 

• Targeted Food Distribution to vulnerable households rendered food insecure due to natural factors such as floods, droughts and (erratic rainfall) those vulnerable due to HIV/AIDS. Criteria for selecting affected areas is based on the findings of the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC)
• Food for Assets aims to enable the community create and or preserve community assets and involve themselves in agricultural activities that ensure sustainable food security e.g. integrated fish farming, irrigation and soil and water conservation.
• Support to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS - Food assistance is provided to households with who have chronically ill people and orphans and vulnerable children, mothers enrolled in the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme and patients on TB treatment. Food security is considered a major risk to successful antiretroviral therapy for HIV positive people.
• Therapeutic feeding targets severely malnourished children and their caretakers and is implemented through health facilities in collaboration with UNICEF, FAO, Government of Malawi and NGOs.

Malawi Country Programme

Pupils in the targeted primary schools receive a daily mid morning porridge every school day; perhaps the only meal the child will have in a day. (Credit - WFP Malawi)

• School feeding has enabled poor households to invest in human capital through education and training. The Ministry of Education with support from WFP and other partners is implementing the activity. Pupils in the targeted primary schools receive a daily mid morning porridge (Corn Soy Blend) each school day. In addition, the programme provides a Take Home Ration (THR) for girls and double-orphaned boys who attend 80% of school days, as an incentive to stay in school. The programme focuses on food insecure districts to minimize school drop out rates, improve school enrolment and student concentration. The programme currently supports 410,000 pupils in 489 schools in 14 districts. The criteria for selecting these districts, besides the high incidence of food insecurity, include enrolment, attendance and drop‑out rates (particularly of girls), the presence of other collaborating partners and high HIV/AIDS prevalence.


• Supplementary feeding improves the nutritional and health status of malnourished pregnant and lactating mothers and moderately malnourished under 5 children in poor and food insecure areas through increased consumption of nutritious food and improved health and nutrition practices. Food aid is given as well as training in good health, nutrition and care practices and HIV and AIDS. WFP contributes to nutrition rehabilitation of malnourished children, vulnerable women during pregnancy and lactation and chronically ill people.

Refugee Protracted relief and Recovery Operation

Because of civil conflicts and political instability in the Great Lakes Region since the 1990s, there has been an influx of refugees into Malawi from Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Malawi hosts refugees in two camps - Dzaleka in Dowa District and Luwani¹ in Neno District. A study has found that the THR has increased girls’ enrolment, attendance and performance, and reduced early girl marriages and overall gender disparities in dropout rates.

¹ In May 2007, Government of Malawi ordered the closure of Luwani camp. UNHCR is currently preparing the logistics to move close to 3,000 refugees, establish basic social services including shelter, health and medical facilities.

WFP PARTNERS

The Government of Malawi is WFP’s main partner. WFP works with other UN agencies, international organisations and both local and international non-governmental organisations in the country. The primary role of WFP is to organise and manage food aid and not its actual delivery to the beneficiaries. Partners like NGOs are the ones that distribute food from agreed delivery points to the beneficiaries.

For more information, visit www.wfp.org, or contact us
World Food Programme
Kang'ombe Building
P.O. Box 30571, Lilongwe 3
Tel: (265) 1 774 666
Fax: (265) 1 773 785