Episcopal Relief and Development is providing emergency food assistance to people in Malawi after an ongoing drought. The country has been at the epicenter of Africa’s food crisis over the past five months.  Nearly four million people in Malawi are at risk of starvation. An ongoing food crisis is affecting almost 12 million people in southern Africa. Most Malawians rely on farming for their food and income and sporadic rains have resulted in little to no harvests.

“This is a very dire situation that we are currently facing here in Malawi,” said the Rt. Rev. Christopher Boyle, Bishop of Northern Malawi. 

In the Diocese of Northern Malawi, the worst affected area is in a remote part of southern Mzimba District in the villages of Mfula, Mgoza, and Kanjuchi where over 800 families have been affected by the crisis. Other affected areas include: Lupembe, South Karonga; Rumphi and Bolero; Usisya; Chitipa; and Likoma and Chizumulu.

ERD is supplying emergency assistance to the Diocese of Northern Malawi for food such as maize and seeds for the next planting season. The diocese expects to reach at least 1,600 of the 3,000 families in affected areas. ERD’s partnership with the diocese will also train 25 farmers in eight communities on soil and water conservation and improving soil fertility.

In the Diocese of Southern Malawi, ERD is helping people in Lower Shire (Chikawawa and Nsanje), Mulanje, Phalombe, and Chiradzulu. “We are using the parish church, the priest, and the local village heads to distribute food supplies after the village heads have identified the most needy people,” said the Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga, Bishop of Southern Malawi. “Bingu wa Mutharika, President of Malawi, has declared the hunger situation a National Disaster. People are also facing water problems as the areas did not flood as it is the usual pattern over the years. This problem is a result of the drought we had in the last growing season,” said Bishop Tengatenga. ERD’s assistance will provide families with food supplies including maize flour, legumes, maize seed, fertilizer, and porridge mix.

Susan Lassen, ERD’s Director of Northeast Operations, was recently in Malawi. “I visited parishes where children and families were once again facing crop failure and extreme hunger,” she said. “In southern Malawi, ERD is helping 17 parishes distribute seeds, maize, and fertilizer so that planting can begin in the next three weeks.”

To make a contribution to help people affected by this crisis, donate to the Africa Relief Fund at http://www.er-d.org/, or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development, Africa Relief Fund, PO Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101.