LILONGWE, Malawi, November 25, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Millions of lives are threatened in the Southern Africa impoverished state of Malawi by a lingering crisis of hunger, with local media reports indicating people are dying of hunger-related illnesses, despite government efforts and attempts by aid organizations to curb the plague-like starvation.

With large sections of the community living on termites, mangoes and others surviving on bamboo tubers, families are forced to wake up as early as 3:00 a.m. to begin queuing at the state grain marketer Admarc locations, in various selling points throughout the country to buy subsidized maize.

But these are the lucky ones, who can afford the low-price maize, according to IOL correspondent.

Further worse, starving families are forced to walk in early morning hours to maize mills, winnowing maize in exchange for maize husks.

Hit by the worst drought in over a decade, Malawi is facing its worst corn harvest since 1992, producing just 1.25 million tones; just 37 percent of the staple food need for national consumption this year.

Maize is Malawi’s staple food and families prepare food from the pounded flour locally known as nsima.

“I would not be harvesting anything to sustain my family till the next harvest period which is April and May 2006. This is likely to cripple my farming operations, I have to plan to look for piece work with well-to-do people who have food so that I support my family and other dependents who include orphans of my late son who left behind five children after dying from the HIV/AIDS pandemic,” Nasiloti Chitukula from the central region district of Dowa, told IOL Friday, November 25.

In Lilongwe rural district, villagers that live close to the township of Area 25 have to travel to the nearest maize mills to collect maize husks after working all day winnowing pounded maize and later milling the husks and using the flour to prepare food at home for the supper.

“I spend the day here at Nankhaka mill in Area 25 in Lilongwe doing piece work, after the work I get the maize husks left by those that came to pound their maize. My husband goes to the garden to do the farm operations and I wake up early everyday to collect the maize husks from this mill on a daily basis,” a lady only identified as Naphiri from the surrounding Mzumazi village told IOL.

The deepening crisis has had its negative social impacts that are affecting social and psychological dimensions of the population.

Hunger has forced young children to abandon school, flocking instead to towns to beg and later use the money to buy food for themselves and their families, IOL correspondent says.

It has also led to widespread stealing of natural fruits like mangoes that normally become ripe during the onset of the rain season.

This has forced owners of mango trees to harvest their mangoes immaturely for fear of the hungry people, who treat themselves illegally to the mangoes.

Queuing at Admarc locations have become a daily routine.

In the meantime, the Muslim community in Malawi has taken a center stage in efforts to combat famine and bring the situation under control. Abdul Hamid, owner of Mehbub Islamic School in the Lake resort district of Mangochi, tries his best.

Hamid recently donated food items worth MK 50 million to surrounding communities in Mangochi and some sectors of the society that include prisons, hospitals among others.

His moves coincided with others by the Malawian Islamic community that is based in South Africa that raised close to about ZAR9 5,000,000 after reading about the food crisis situation in the international media and the predicament of millions of Malawians in there desperate appeal for food.

The country Vice President Dr.Cassim Chilumpha at his Mudi residence in Blantyre received the donation by the South African delegation, thanking the community for their generosity and saying that it was a timely move.

He also took the opportunity to urge journalists in the country to report more on the food crisis situation. He also thanked the BBC for broadcasting a story on the famine situation in the country.

In southern Malawi, Muslim entrepreneurs of Asian origins donated 50 kg bags of maize to about 2,500 families in four districts in a bid to help government avert the food shortage in the country.

Through a charity call, Al Umar–Al Farooq, the Muslim entrepreneur donated 50kgs bags of maize to 1,500 families in Chiradzulu, 1,700 families in Nsanje and 2,000 in Mulanje.

Umar Al-Farooq said it would further assist government in reducing the burden through distribution of free farm inputs, seeds and fertilizers – in some district in November.

The organization also dismissed suggestion that it targeted mostly Muslim beneficiaries, saying it was “generously giving out the maize regardless of one faith.”

Muslims make up 12 percent of the country's 12 million people, mostly Christians.

Government Efforts

Humanitarian crisis in Malawi. (Reuters).

In the meantime, the Muslim community in Malawi has taken a center stage in efforts to combat famine and bring the situation under control. Abdul Hamid, owner of Mehbub Islamic School in the Lake resort district of Mangochi, tries his best.

Hamid recently donated food items worth MK 50 million to surrounding communities in Mangochi and some sectors of the society that include prisons, hospitals among others.

His moves coincided with others by the Malawian Islamic community that is based in South Africa that raised close to about ZAR9 5,000,000 after reading about the food crisis situation in the international media and the predicament of millions of Malawians in there desperate appeal for food.

The country Vice President Dr.Cassim Chilumpha at his Mudi residence in Blantyre received the donation by the South African delegation, thanking the community for their generosity and saying that it was a timely move.

He also took the opportunity to urge journalists in the country to report more on the food crisis situation. He also thanked the BBC for broadcasting a story on the famine situation in the country.

In southern Malawi, Muslim entrepreneurs of Asian origins donated 50 kg bags of maize to about 2,500 families in four districts in a bid to help government avert the food shortage in the country.

Through a charity call, Al Umar–Al Farooq, the Muslim entrepreneur donated 50kgs bags of maize to 1,500 families in Chiradzulu, 1,700 families in Nsanje and 2,000 in Mulanje.

Umar Al-Farooq said it would further assist government in reducing the burden through distribution of free farm inputs, seeds and fertilizers – in some district in November.

The organization also dismissed suggestion that it targeted mostly Muslim beneficiaries, saying it was “generously giving out the maize regardless of one faith.”

Some traders seek profits out of the situation. These sell maize at twice or thrice the price, making it too expensive for average Malawians, with the majority surviving on less than a dollar per day.

The government, through parliament, approved a fertilizer subsidy program to give farmers the chance to buy cheap fertilizer and maize seeds in order to boost maize production and prevent another food shortage next growing season. Farmers are currently buying a 50 kg bag of fertilizer at MK950 throughout the country.

UN Call

Mutharika declared Malawi a state disaster.

Shedding light on the gravity of the situation, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Ian Egeland says food shortage in the country could lead to swelling numbers of starving Malawians from 4.2 million to 4.6 million by the end of the year.

Egeland urged the international community to rapidly respond, by sending in generous aid and donations, urgently needed to avert a catastrophic disaster.

In October 2005, Malawi president Bingu wa Mutharika declared Malawi a state disaster, following mounting pressure from the legislature to get the international community's sympathy and donors to assist the country.

Malawi food shortage has been caused by drought and erratic rainfall that hit during the critical time of tussling, during the previous growing season. This resulted in food deficit, according the Vulnerability Assessment Committee in the country.