By Lekereni Chinkhota

Salima, September 1, Mana: Households affected by dry spells, caused by El Nino and floods in Salima district have received fortified maize flour from Malawi government through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) to help in alleviating hunger problems.

Speaking on Saturday, in the area of Senior Chief Khombedza after receiving the relief items, Thomas Yohane from Kamanula village said the items have come at a right time when many people in the area are struggling to find food for their families.

“I am pleased with this timely support from the government. My family struggled to find food due to exorbitant prices of maize in our area and it is not easy to find money here. Sometimes my family was going to bed on an empty stomach, because we did not harvest much this year as a result of dry spells,” he said.

Another beneficiary from Chilambanjala village, Agness Edward said the flour she has received will enable her family to have enough food with her large family for some time.

“I have eight children and it is not easy to find enough food for all of them. This bag will enable my family to have enough food for over a week while I will be finding other means of providing for my family,” she said.

Disaster Risk Management Officer for Salima, Gloria Chinangwa said after conducting assessment on the affected households hit by floods and dry spells in the district, it pleased the government to offer such relief items through their office.

“We are distributing the maize flour to households who were affected by floods and dry spells in the district. It is our target to reach 4,000 households with these relief items so that they should not solely be without food items in their homes,” she said.

Meanwhile, DoDMA is also collaborating with other partners who are willing to help the people in the district who encountered the same problem.

The targeted households are from senior chiefs Khombedza, Kuluunda, Maganga, Ndindi, and Kambwiri who suffered from floods and dry spells that affected their crop production in 2023/2024 farming season.