APA-Lilongwe (Malawi) The World Food Programme (WFP) is appealing for US$6.3 million to meet the humanitarian needs of more than 51,000 refugees in Malawi amid revelations that inadequate resources have forced the United Nations agency to slash support at the country’s Dzaleka Refugee Camp by 50 percent.
WFP acting country director Simon Denhere said the agency has since 2020 gradually reduced the quantity of food rations it provides to refugees in Malawi due to “chronic funding shortfalls” and is appealing for additional resources to curtail further cuts in support.
“We are worried that the reduction in food rations will exacerbate an already dire food security situation and increase hardships among refugees residing in Dzaleka camp,” Denhere said on Monday.
The requested additional funding would assist “to reinstate the food rations to current levels until June 2024,” he said.
The refugees, who are mainly from the Great Lakes region, receive monthly WFP cash assistance at the camp – where they face several challenges, including insufficient shelter and inadequate health, water and sanitation services.
The assistance provided was designed to meet the minimum recommended energy needs of 2,100 kilocalories.
Denhere warned that unless additional funding is obtained the WFP has no choice but to reduce assistance further, potentially leaving thousands of refugees struggling to meet their nutritional needs.
As a result, refugees would now receive a cash allowance of US$ 5.90 (MK 6,300) per person per month. This amount is, however, barely enough to cover an individual’s monthly food requirements.
He said the overall state of food security and nutrition at the camp has been steadily deteriorating, primarily due to soaring food prices, a surge in the number of refugees entering the country, and the return of refugees to the camp under the Malawi government’s encampment policy.
JN/APA