Families who are in the grips of catastrophic hunger have hailed the food distribution exercise by Vice President Michael Usi as coming at the most critical time.
Dr. Usi has been in the Southern region for the past weeks distributing food to individuals and families facing hunger due to climate related shocks that affected crop production last growing season.
The family of Mixon Chiwaya and Ester Paulo is one of the beneficiaries of the food distribution exercise that Dr Usi conducted in Thyolo.
Mixon, 45 and Ester 30, have five children and come from Kasalika Village in Traditional Authority Ndalama in Thyolo
The oldest, 18 years old, is in form 1 while the youngest, 5 years old, is in Standard I.
Mixon and Ester used to go to Mozambique to do ganyu during lean periods to support their family leaving their fields and children unattended to.
” Life has been very difficult these past two years raising six children. Most times during this period we could go on empty stomach as we have no food. We survive on ganyu. So this maize we have received from the Vice President will ease the food pressure,” narrated Ester.
Another beneficiary of the food distribution exercise in Blantyre is Mercy Hayela.
Mercy, 40, is a single mother with a total of 6 children— four girls and two boys. Among the six children, there are twins and two orphans.
” Our life would have been very difficult without food. We survived by doing ganyu in other people’s fields. But now we managed to receive this maize and some money from the Vice President. This will save my family from starvation and even death. We could not afford to buy this maize on our own,” said Mercy.
During the food distribution exercise in Thyolo and Blantyre, Dr. Michael Usi urged political and traditional leaders not to politicise food distribution exercise being undertaken by the government, saying doing so, will hinder the exercise.
At Gunda Primary School ground in the area of Senior Chief Ndalama in Thyolo Usi presided over the distribution of maize flour to 700 people.
“Hunger is a serious danger to the community such that, politicising food distribution exercises will leave hundreds of people suffering,” he said.
Usi, therefore, called on politicians, clergy, faith groups to come together and help Malawians to come out of hunger.
He also expressed shock that some officials steal relief items meant for poor people and promised that government will put in place measures to stop the malpractice.
Others who spoke at the food distribution exercise in Thyolo include Member of Parliament for Thyolo East, Masauko White and Senior Chief Ndalama who hailed the exercise.
Usi distributed maize flour, groundnuts, mosquito repellent and some clothes to people in the area.
