Everybody eats. So people understand the fundamental role food plays in health and well-being. Everyone understands and knows this too, which is why it’s sad when we have over 1.9 million Malawians lives are threatened by hunger. It is morally unacceptable that all these people should go hungry, but that is the reality for 41 year old Chrissy Chiyipira and her six dependents.
“To get our daily food, I do some manual labour at the nearest maize meal, and in return- I get maize chaff. After milling the chaff, that’s when we get flour. But the nsima made from the chaff is not tasty and non-nutritious”, says the agitated family breadwinner.
The mother of four lost her husband in 2001, and she also takes care of her aged mother and two children of her elder sister. Her eldest son Alick, is a beneficiary of African Enterprise interventions in Phereni Village. According to her, the family was saved from starvation last year by the Christmas gifts that they got in December, but at the moment, they have no hope.
But Chrissy’s troubles are not peculiar to her, that’s according to Phereni Primary school Deputy Head teacher, Mrs. Joyce Kasalika.
The teacher notes that famine has taken a huge toll on her learners. Her school, Phereni Primary School has over 950 learners, but due to lack of food, only around 400 pupils are coming to school.
“Kids cannot come to school while hungry. Most parents prefer sending their kids to sell vegetables so as to make money to buy food. The unfortunate few whose families have no merchandise to sell, they come to school hungry and weak therefore they cannot even concentrate in class”, laments the teacher.
We believe education is the key to ending poverty, but a hungry learner cannot go to school. Our war against poverty starts with consented efforts towards the food epidemic that is threatening the lives of millions of Malawians.
African Enterprise Malawi 