By Steven Lingamawa

Balaka, March 21, Mana: Government through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) has secured funds for an extra month for the lean season program beneficiaries in Balaka.

Since December, beneficiaries of the 2024-2025 lean season were left with no hope as the World Food Program (WFP) through its partner Find your Feet, only managed to distribute cash meant for food for two months cover against the five months that food situation assessment recommended.

Briefing members of the District Disaster Risk Management Committee on Thursday, Acting Disaster and Rehabilitating Officer, Alick Milanzi disclosed that WFP will again partner with Find your Feet on the activity.

Said Milanzi: “The Learn Season Response Program is a Malawi Government program intended to help a lot of households which are food insecure.

“WFP will cover 36, 519 households with cash amounting to K70, 000 while the remaining 15, 281 will be given a 50 kilogram of maize by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs.”

According to Milanzi, beneficiaries from Traditional Authorities Nsamala, Nkaya, Group Village Headman Phalula, Ngomwa, and Phimbi will receive maize, while the rest will get cash.

For the remaining two months, Milanzi said Government is still knocking doors for other donors and once everything is set, the beneficiaries will be notified.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for Balaka South, Ireen Mambala has hailed the initiative, saying people in villages were struggling to find food and asked authorities to act with speed as the food situation was worsening with a handful of harvests this year again.