Japan commits K5.5 billion towards humanitarian aid

The Japanese government has committed to provide over K5.5 billion to Malawi in response to humanitarian needs.

Japanese Ambassador to Malawi, Shuichiro Nishioka, disclosed this in Lilongwe on Wednesday, saying the assistance follows President Peter Mutharika’s call for support to complement his government’s resources in assisting food insecure households following last year’s floods and prolonged dry spell.

Japan will channel about K3.8 billion of the grant through the World Food Programme (WFP) and is expected to reach about 2.3 million people across the country with food assistance.

“Japan considered extending its funding to address malnutrition, considering that the nutritional status of children deteriorates rapidly in emergencies. The funding will, therefore, complement the food assistance programmes by deliberately addressing dietary challenges which may arise due to food insecurity among children and women,” Nishioka said.

In his remarks, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Goodall Gondwe, said the grant will enable government to meet the needs of vulnerable children and women who are battling malnutrition.

“The funds will support 21 a ffected districts and aims to reduce acute malnutrition and mortality in children by improving the quality of care in health facilities and village clinics. The interventions will specifically concentrate on children with acute malnutrition and those susceptible to communicable diseases,” Gondwe said.

Unicef Country Representative, Mahimbo Mdoe, said the funds will support approximately 6,000 children with severe malnutrition as well as provide screening at village clinics for 360,000 children.

In January 2016, the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac) estimated that over 2.8 million people in the country were food-insecure in 25 districts.

The report also stated that the number of children admitted for management of acute malnutrition increased by 109 percent from December 2015 to January 2016.

Japan has been supporting emergency response activities in the country for three years.