Malnutrition numbers keep rising

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of malnourished children admitted to nutritional rehabilitation units (NRU) at clinics in Malawi in the past few months, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). In the south of the country, where the food crisis has been particularly severe, a UNICEF survey recorded a 22 percent increase in admissions to NRUs in October. The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) reported last month that compared to the same period in 2004, admissions to NRUs in August 2005 were 41 percent higher in the central region, up by 24 percent in the south, and by 15 percent in northern Malawi. Roger Mathisen, UNICEF's clinical nutritionist in Malawi, said the number of admissions was set to triple in the next few months as the country entered the lean season before the new harvest in March. Rising prices have made food unaffordable for poor households, leading to an increase in malnutrition rates across the country. Malawi is in the grip of food shortages brought on by the worst drought in a decade, compounded by the late delivery of fertilisers and seed. "Maize in many parts of the severely affected southern region is now selling at between 35 and 40 kwacha (US 28 to 32 cents) a kilo - people cannot afford these prices," said Sam Chimwaza, country representative of the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS-NET). "Maize is still cheaper than beans and other pulses, so people are unable to provide balanced meals for their children and other members of the family," he added. Seasonal ganyu - casual agricultural labour in exchange for food or cash - is the main source of income for poor households in Malawi. "But as the planting season begins when the rains come in November, vulnerable and food-insecure families have had few opportunities to earn money through ganyu. The rains have not yet come, so there is little work available for people - another reason why people cannot afford to buy food," Chimwaza pointed out. According to Mathisen, pregnant women and over a million children aged under five are in need of food assistance. Hunger-related illnesses have been aggravated by the high incidence of HIV/AIDS among children. "One in three children admitted in the NRUs is HIV positive - half the children admitted in the NRU in Blantyre are HIV positive," Mathisen commented. UNICEF is providing emergency interventions like therapeautic feeding and has scaled up its operations, with support from the WFP, to cover the country's 94 NRUs. But the agency's operations have been affected by underfunding - it has received only US $2.5 million of its $13 million appeal for emergency interventions. Underfunding has also hampered WFP's attempts to build up a store of corn-soya blend, vegetable oil and pulses for distribution during the lean season. "We are concerned whether we will be able to provide a good nutritional balance in the coming months," said WFP spokeswoman Stephanie Savariaud. UN agencies need at least $42 million to meet their requirements. According to FEWS-NET, international donors have committed more than $63.4 million in bi-lateral assistance to projects not listed in the UN's appeal, including nearly $18.4 million from the United Kingdom for 70,000 mt of maize and $37 million from the World Bank to support seed and fertiliser subsidies for the 2005/06 agricultural season. The government has also established the 'Feed the Nation' fund, to which Malawians can donate available resources to feed affected households. According to FEWS-NET, the fund has raised around $412,000 so far.