Attachments
In Numbers
4.4 million people or 22 percent of the population face acute food insecurity this lean season (Oct 23 – Mar 24)
USD 45.7 million six-month net funding requirements for WFP (January – June 2024)
51,000 refugees and asylum-seekers received cash assistance in December. Food insecurity remains high.
Strategic Outcome 1
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Lean Season Response: This lean season is longer than usual and is affecting 4.4 million people, a significant increase from previous years. The Government's Lean Season Response Plan, requiring USD 226 million for cash and in-kind transfers, is facing a substantial funding shortfall.
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WFP has obtained support from several donors to enhance the response in several areas. These include the procurement and transportation of maize; distribution of maize and cash-based transfers in Chikwawa, Nsanje and Phalombe districts through implementing partners; support for government-led maize distributions and a focus on targeting, monitoring, and feedback.
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WFP successfully completed the first round of food assistance distributions in Nsanje and Phalombe districts, reaching over 173,000 people.
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WFP is engaged in the regional procurement of maize meal with World Bank funding. This includes transportation to various government distribution sites. WFP is working with the 12 district councils targeted to align on joint efforts and establish standards for accountability and oversight.
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Refugees: WFP supported 51,000 refugees in Dzaleka camp in November and December. Limited livelihood opportunities and a reduced WFP cash-based transfer at 50 percent of caloric needs since July 2023 have led to insufficient food consumption. A WFP survey found that 22 percent of the population was marginally food secure in November, with the remainder being food insecure.
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Should additional resources not be received, WFP may have to prioritize the most vulnerable households or completely halt its programme from June 2024.
Strategic Outcome 2
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School feeding: WFP supports 676,000 school children in 540 primary schools. Through the Home-Grown School Feeding model, schools receive funds to purchase food from local farmer organizations to provide a daily hot meal to learners. As well as providing nutrition, this enhances knowledge about local food production, benefiting both learners and their parents.
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WFP successfully hosted a high-level French delegation visit to a Primary school in Dedza. The Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships together with principal secretaries for Education and Agriculture interacted with school-level stakeholders, volunteer cooks and farmers supplying food to the school. WFP also held meetings with partners to plan programme roll-out in districts in Northern Region. Early Child Development (ECD) centre assessments were carried out in Chikwawa, Nsanje, Phalombe and Zomba districts to identify 62 eligible ECD centres and capacity building training for four schools in Mangochi was also conducted.