At Least 675,000 Malawians Still Starving Despite Good Harvest

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, September 01, 2003

At Least 675,000 Malawians Still Starving Despite Good Harvest

At least 675,000 people are still in need of urgent food aid in Malawi despite the country experiencing a good harvest, the United Nations World Food Program(WFP) said here Sunday.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

At least 675,000 people are still in need of urgent food aid in Malawi despite the country experiencing a good harvest, the United Nations World Food Program(WFP) said here Sunday.

Lola Castro, WFP Malawi Officer-in-Charge, said a joint survey carried out by the UN agency in collaboration with the Malawi government and other organizations indicates that there are still pockets of "food insecure" areas in the country.

"These may be affected by hunger throughout the year," she said.

Castro said these include school-going pupils from areas that were hardest hit by severe food shortage at the peak of the faminebetween December 2001 and February 2002. People in these areas didnot have time to prepare their gardens to plant crops since they were busy scavenging for food.

Other groups that are still in need of food are HIV/AIDS patients and those looking after people chronically ill with the disease.

"Families of these people are affected because they cannot go and tend to their gardens because they are taking care of these vulnerable people," she said.

Castro said another group of people in urgent need of food aid are those people in areas affected by natural disasters like floods and land-slides.

She said the WFP is currently undertaking several intervention programs like food-for-work where communities are given pieces of work in exchange for food. In severe cases food is distributed forfree.

The WFP estimates that Malawi will require at least 44,500 tonsof food aid between now and June 2004, she said.

Questions?Comments? Click here

WFP Says 6.5 Million People Need Relief Food in Southern Africa

Over Half of South Africans Starving: Report

Martin Luther King's Dream Hard to Be Fulfilled ( 23 Messages)

China's Economy Faces Stiff Challenges: Minister ( 3 Messages)

China's 150 million mu Forests Plagued by Exotic Pests ( 3 Messages)

Is a Good Husband Worth More Than a Good Job? ( 2 Messages)

Poll Shows More Americans Wouldn't Vote for Bush ( 15 Messages)