WFP Press Release

Greece donates MWK 9.4 million to WFP refugee operations in Malawi

Dom Scalpelli (WFP Malawi Country Director), Hon. Ernest Malenga (Minister for Home Affairs) and H.E. Dimitri Alexandrakis (Greek Ambssador to Malawi) (from left to right) address the media during the presentation of the cheque at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

LILONGWE, 3rd July 2007 –Greece has donated MK 9.4 million (Euros 50,000) to WFP refugee operations in Malawi. Greek Ambassador to Malawi based in Harare, Zimbabwe, H.E. Dimitri Alexandrakis, made the presentation to Hon. Ernest Malenga, Minister for Home Affairs at Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Dowa District. The Commissioner for Disaster, Poverty and Disaster Management Affairs, Mrs. Lillian Ng’oma, UNHCR Representative, Mr. Abdulkadir Jama and WFP Country Director, Mr. Dom Scalpelli also attended the ceremony.

The Greek donation is earmarked for the refugee programme in Malawi. WFP has been providing food assistance to refugees in Malawi since the 1990s following civil conflicts and political instability in the Great Lakes region. There has been an influx of refugees into Malawi mainly from Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Malawi is hosting these refugees at Dzaleka Camp in Dowa district. The majority of them enter Malawi from neighboring Tanzania through the northern district of Chitipa. Following Malawi Government’s closure of northern border Karonga Transit shelter and Luwani Refugee Camp at the end of June 2007, all refugees are accommodated at Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

 “The donation from the Greek Ambassador today is a great and timely contribution to the refugee programme in Malawi. Refugees coming from neighbouring countries in the Great Lakes region face poverty, hunger and food insecurity. With the help of these funds WFP aims to eradicate the latter two by providing refugees with a ration of 2100 calories a day in the form of beans, maize meal, salt, vegetable oil and sugar. A post distribution monitoring exercise in 2006 revealed that that WFP food assistance was the only source of food for 50% of the families residing in Dzaleka. It is, therefore, of great importance that we continue to help feed the refugees in Malawi.” Domenico Scalpelli, WFP Country Director, Malawi.

In May 2007, WFP fed 7,800 refugees. An individual food basket distributed meets the daily basic food requirements for refugees.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: each year, we give food to an average of 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 58 million hungry children, in at least 80 of the world's poorest countries. WFP - We Feed People.

Visit our website: www.wfp.org

For more information please contact Andikuza Makhumula, Public Information Assistant, WFP Malawi: Tel. +265 1 774 666; Mob. +265 9972401/9 559463, email andikuza.makhumula@wfp.org