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Crisis in Malawi: your two-minute guide

Fatima Guwira was helped by Concern after losing all of her crops to the floods that devastated Nsanje District, Malawi, in January 2015. Credit: Concern Worldwide
Fatima Guwira was helped by Concern after losing all of her crops to the floods that devastated Nsanje District, Malawi, in January 2015. Credit: Concern Worldwide
News19 April 2016

Drought and crop failure have sparked a national emergency. Find out what that means for the people of Malawi – and how Concern is helping.

The crisis in Malawi

  • This month the government of Malawi declared a national emergency, caused by ongoing drought and the worst crop failure in a generation. Almost four million people need help getting enough food to survive.
  • The crisis has been made worse by recent flooding and by El Nino, a weather phenomenon linked to climate change.
  • Maize is the staple crop in Malawi. Last year’s harvest was 30 per cent below the five-year average, and this year’s harvest is even smaller.
  • As supplies dry up, the price of food has rocketed. Maize prices in February were 155 per cent above the national five-year average. This year inflation in Malawi is expected to reach 22 per cent.
  • Malawi already has one of the highest rates of stunting – child underdevelopment caused by malnutrition – in the world.

How we are helping in Malawi

  • We’ve joined with other organisations to help 150,000 people caught up in the crisis.
  • This help includes immediate cash grants so families can buy essential supplies, as well as seeds to replant their crops.
  • We are also helping malnourished children get emergency medical care.
Apoline Niyosenge is taught how to wash her hands properly by Concern community worker Abel Bamwisho, DRC. Photo: Pamela Tulizo

Help those in need across the world

  • Our mission is to permanently transform the lives of people living in extreme poverty.

  • When an emergency strikes we are among the first on the ground.

  • We go to the ends of earth to deliver aid where it's needed most.

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