06013
Jan. 13, 2006

Church agency in Malawi
launches famine-relief program

by Frank Jomo
Ecumenical News International

BLANTYRE, Malawi — The Church Action in Relief and Development agency (CARD) has launched a program to help starving people in the country’s southern districts of Blantyre and Zomba.

        “Currently, there are over 4.5 million Malawians in need of food, a figure that we may live with until harvesting time in April,” said the Rev. Fletcher Kaiya, a Baptist pastor who serves as the program's project coordinator.

        The church agency is organizing a 26 million kwacha (approx. $210,000) food-aid program in the two districts.

        Malawi is facing the worst drought in more than a decade, and the situation has been aggravated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and chronic poverty, according to aid agencies.

        In addition, floods at the end of 2005 displaced at least 1,000 people and destroyed a crucial maize crop.

        The aid program, also supported by the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, would mostly benefit home-care patients and orphans, Kaiya said.

        “A total of 2,000 households will now at least have food prepared from maize, and cooking oil that they will receive for four months,” he said.