Malawi is one of the poorest countries
in the world. Life expectancy is 39 years and falling due to HIV/AIDS.
Poverty is endemic with many people caught in a deepening cycle of deprivation.
This year poor rainfall has pushed people,
already finding it hard to cope, to their limits in dealing with the current
food crisis.
The combination of factors will have serious consequences for the future if more isn't done now to help people in vulnerable situations.
Harvest failure widespread
"This year is very different to other years. Compared to last year no single person has harvested a normal crop because the rains finished early. People here are very hard working but our biggest challenge is that the sun has scorched our crops." Starbreak Magaso
Downy mildew disease added to the problem in some areas.
"After planting the maize was germinating well, it was very green, but after two weeks it started to turn yellow. We immediately starting uprooting the maize that had been affected [by Downy Mildew], but in the end all the maize dried and we were literally left with no harvest." Yamikani Josanna
No seeds for the future
Downy mildew has had further consequences.
"I'm one of the farmers involved in seed multiplication. We'd normally start in April. We thought the disease had gone, but it came back and affected the winter crop. In other years we were able to go to market with seeds from our winter crop but not this year.
"This time of year you'd have normally found me with plenty of green maize but there's none this year, now I don't know what I'll do." Rosina Mavidi
Few opportunities for work
The widespread failure of the harvest has left more people than usual looking for labouring work in other people's fields. There is less work on offer and people are travelling further and further to find any, with the result that their own fields are being neglected.
"If the situation continues it will mean that people will only do piecework and will not be attending to their fields and so won't harvest anything next year. There'll be another hunger next year." Maryanna Laison
Water sources drying up
"We're concerned about water for drinking . . . the streams are drying up now and the boreholes are far from some of the households. People are starting to travel up to 15 kilometres for water and people have little time to participate in development activities . . . they are spending time looking for water and food." Mr Kainga
"The scarcity of water has affected the vegetable growing. Before when we were hungry but we had a bit of water we could grow vegetables. If we were near the river we'd be able to irrigate but it's far from here. If someone's going there by bicycle they are charging 70 kwacha one way." Justin Njoloma
Dropping out of school
Children's education is suffering because they have stopped attending school due to hunger or because they are looking for food or work.
"I lost both my parents last year. I dropped out of school after they passed away. I rely on finding gardening and other work. My brother, he's 10, he is still going to school but he helps me most of the time with the ganyu (piecework). He absents himself from school to do this. He can't work as much if he went to school." Alaika milambe
"We know that some families have stopped sending their children to school. Young girls are being encouraged to marry into families that are better off to get money or food. I think that some young men are also being enticed to marry into families who are better off for food." Daniel Mukupusa
Caring for orphans
The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS has left many children orphaned, adding to the burden for some families.
"There are so many households that are looking after orphans, so many extended families. So you see that if they didn't harvest enough and then they have quite a number of orphans to look after, these households are really affected." Albertine Msemo
"The orphans get into the house expecting to find something but they find there is nothing then they just cry and when they cry what can I do? I also have to cry with them and that's all I can do. So we have a problem we can't give support to the orphans that we have decided to take care of...and the burden is growing bigger every time." Adeine Limbini
Selling everything
People are selling their household goods and assets in order to survive. Sometimes the situation is such that some women feel they are left with no option but to sell sex in exchange for money or food with dire consequences for the future.
'I saw four women yesterday selling their own baskets; these are baskets they have been using at home. Another woman was selling her large clay pot, which she'd been using to store water. I've seen people selling plates, especially metal plates. They're selling them in exchange for cassava, maize or cash.' Kathumba
Other women explain the situation that leads them to more desperate measures.
"Our major problem here as women is we are not able to find support for our households. We go to markets to do some business but there's not enough business around so we're selling sex to feed our children. We know that this is not the best solution; that we are going to get diseases and die. We know we are going to leave our children in the hands of very old people but that's the only option we have in this village."