United Kingdom government has made two generous contributions totalling £9.1 million (USD 12 million) to support WFP operations in Malawi. This funding will support a multi-sectoral approach to addressing malnutrition and building resilience.
Of this amount, £2.3 million will provide nutritional supplies for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition among 87,000 people including children, and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, between June 2018 and March 2019.
The remaining £6.8 million will help WFP to provide support to 31,000 households under its Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) programme. The funds will also allow for the scale-up of resilience-building interventions such as weather-indexed micro-insurance, village-based savings and loans activities, and climate services.
Acting Country Director for the Department for International Development (DFID) in Malawi, Chris Austin said, “Long-term investments are essential to addressing food and nutrition insecurity in Malawi and building the resilience of the economy and its people to weather-related shocks. These efforts will help the country to achieve its potential and empower women, men and children to find sustainable solutions to hunger and enjoy a brighter future.”
The UK is one of the largest donors to WFP in Malawi, having contributed £24 million (USD 31.7 million) since 2016 towards breaking the cycle of hunger. WFP is supporting the Government of Malawi through a range of programmes, including emergency food and cash-based transfers, nutritional support and resilience-building.