By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, December 14, mana: M’mbelwa District Council Relief and Rehabilitation Officer, Faith Longwe has advised beneficiaries against selling relief maize which is being distributed in the district through the Lean Season Food Response.

Longwe made the remarks on Thursday at Luwerezi in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mabilabo in Mzimba during a maize distribution exercise to 600 vulnerable and food-insecure households.

A total of about 22,900 households are expected to benefit from the Lean Season Food Response which is being supported by European Union(EU) from December 2024 to February 2025 in the district.

She said that the intervention is being implemented through Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare.

“It would be a lack appreciation to the donors to hear that beneficiaries of the initiative are selling out the relief food,” Longwe said.

One of the beneficiaries, Emeliya Chima said that she was struggling to feed her family of three children and the maize is a huge relief to her family.

‘‘This year I did not harvest enough maize to meet the food requirement for my family and this has made me run out of food quicker than the previous years.

Another beneficiary, Stelia Nyirenda, a mother of four, stated that 2024 has been the worst year for her family due to low harvests caused by a lack of fertilizer. She expressed gratitude to the government for coming to her aid.

The food response follows the 2024 Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee report which indicates that 153,000 people are food-insecure in Mzimba district.