Sarah’s blog 30/11/24
I saw that a friend on Facebook had shared this newspaper article on hunger and malnutrition in Malawi. I asked Levison if he was ok with me sharing it. I am aware of trying to get a balance between positive and good news stories against those stories that are about how people are struggling and need our help. Levison said ‘This is the truth. It is pathetic to see how kids suffer from hunger in Malawi and we expect them to do well in class.’ So here it is. (I will retype some of it as it will be difficult to read if looking at it on a phone).
A 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI) report has indicated that the hunger situation in Malawi is serious….According to the report, Malawi faces significant challenges regarding food security and nutrition, exacerbated by several factors which include high levels of poverty, reliance on subsistence farming and vulnerability to climate shocks. The report says that, despite progress being made, hunger has declined only marginally since 2016 and that the prospects for achieving zero hunger by 2030 are grim. Malawi has about 4.7 million food insecure people. The report says progress in reducing all four GHI indications – under-nutrition, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality – is lagging behind international targets.
This is why we need you help. Yes, progress is being made and we (thanks to our wonderful supporters) have several successful building projects under our belts now including; Bright Futures Secondary School, Emma’s Rainbow Library, a shower block, latrines, and Teachers’ accommodation. There is clean drinking water too as well as an orchard, hens and now three pigs.
However, whilst progress is being made for future sustainability and self-sufficiency… 500 of the most vulnerable children are only being fed at The Feeding Programme once a week. It’s not enough. Some are walking from up to 20kms for that one proper meal of the week. Some are carrying toddler siblings. One nutritious meal per week is not enough but it is all we can afford. Some girls are still at risk of being married off too young as families cannot feed them.
There are no big charities are feeding children in schools in the rural north. That immediately puts these children at a huge disadvantage. How can they sleep properly if they are hungry and cold? How can they concentrate if they are tired? How can we expect them to retain information if they are malnourished and not eating properly each day?
This is why these children need your help and why we keep appealing for donations. The end goal is sustainability and self-sufficiency but the children need more – now. We need to do more to relieve the hunger and malnutrition amongst the children we help to support. Will you help?
We are now in the run up to the end of 2024… another year that has gone so quickly! And we are hoping that you might include one of our projects in your charity giving. We have a page on DonorSee where there are a few projects – some of which are food for the future while others, like the Christmas Party appeal, are to give children an extra meal and a party. Will you help us please? As we are volunteers, all money we receive goes to the projects we support.
You can either email me for bank details contact_us@changinglivesmalawi.com , or give via the link on the website Donate money to Changing Lives Malawi or via our page on DonorSee. The link to the children’s party is here https://donorsee.com/project/25004?share=1
Thank you so much to everyone for your support. We always say it’s about teamwork and we need you on our team to continue Changing Lives (in) Malawi. Thank you for reading and giving, Sarah x
