Highlights
In June 2016 the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee reported that 6.5 million people are food insecure and in urgent need of food assistance in 24 districts. This represents 39% of the country population and the needs vary across the affected districts. The lean season spans from July 2016 to March 2017, when the humanitarian situation is expected to peak among the most vulnerable children and women.
An emergency response plan has been developed and released under the leadership of Department Of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), with active participation from all clusters. The overall plan is targeting 6.5 million people in 24 of the most affected districts and requires US $380 million. The appeal currently has a gap of US $313 million.
The Malawi nutrition SMART survey was completed in June 2016, showing a 2.5% national global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate (which was 1.1% GAM in 2015 during the same period). Of particular concern is the Lower Shire zone which has a 6.6% GAM rate (while in 2015 Lower Shire zone’s GAM rate was 2.8%). Seven nutrition surveys were conducted in May 2016 covering seven Livelihood Zones (25 districts), using the SMART Survey Methodology. The 2016 SMART Survey was the second round of Nutrition Survey’s to be conducted in Malawi within a period of one year.
A total of 1,686 cholera cases have been reported as of 30 June, with 46 deaths recorded. The most affected districts are Machinga (799 cases), Zomba (288 cases) and Karonga (228 cases).
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) conducted the 2016 Annual Assessment and Analysis (VAA) from 8-28 May 2016. The assessment results show that the total population that will not be able to meet their annual minimum food requirements (using the survival threshold) during the 2016/2017 consumption period is 6,491,847 representing 39% of total population (projected at 16,832,910). This figure represents 129% increase over last year’s figure of 2,833,212. A total of 2 districts have been affected and these include: Mzimba and Rumphi in the Northern Region; Dedza, Dowa, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Mchinji, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Ntcheu and Salima in the Central Region; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Phalombe, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Thyolo and Zomba in the Southern Region. The affected districts have annual food deficits ranging from 3 to 9 months and require 375,000 MT of food assistance with a cash value of MK113 billion.
The Food Insecurity Response Plan (FIRP), developed by the Government of Malawi in collaboration with the UN and NGOs through the humanitarian clusters, identifies Food Security, Nutrition, Agriculture, Health, Education and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as the key priority sectors for immediate assistance. Currently, 1.8 million people are in need of agricultural inputs to restore their livelihoods, while an estimated 500,000 people have no access to safe drinking water. About 31% of the cultivated land in the country has been affected by the drought, of which 13% was severely affected. Nutrition and increased mortality rates are of particular concern in 24 out of a total of 28 districts.
During the month of June the new arrivals from Mozambique continued slowing down, while the relocation operation of refugees from Kapise transit area to Luwani refugee camp was completed on 28 June. At the end of June, UNHCR registered 1,831 people in Luwani camp, while a few hundred refugees remain in Kapise. In total, around 2,000 Mozambican refugees are living in Neno and Mwanza Districts.