Beating malnutrition in 90 days
How World Food Programme (WFP) cash transfers are helping overcome malnutrition in Malawi
In the Mangochi district of Malawi, where farming is especially hard, many families go hungry between the months of December and March. This is called the ‘lean season’, when food runs out before the new harvest comes.
It’s a recurrent problem, so the World Food Programme (WFP) has developed a new method to prevent malnutrition during this difficult period.
“The porridge would run out within days”.
Usually, when children fall sick with malnutrition, they are taken to a health center to receive a nutrient-rich, high-energy porridge to put them back on track. But sometimes this is not enough, and many children fall sick again.
Through a new initiative, WFP provided families in Mangochi district with additional cash during the lean season, so they could buy extra food to fast-track the recovery of their young children who were on nutritional support.
Three mothers share their experiences here.
Beauty Utonga
“I am a mother of five, and 2-year-old Yassin is the youngest. He got porridge at the health centre, but he was not recovering very fast. To be honest, I used to share the porridge I received for Yassin with my other children, and it would run out within days when it was supposed to last for a month,” says Beauty Utonga.
To help Yassin and his siblings, Beauty received a cash transfer of 20,000 Malawi kwacha (US$ 27) to buy food for her family for three months. This meant that the nutritious Corn Soya Blend porridge destined for Yassin did not have to be shared with his older siblings. Once Beauty started buying fruit, fish, cooking oil, maize and vegetables, there was more food for everyone and Yassin’s health improved much faster.
“He began to gain weight, and was active and playful like any other child. We all benefited,” she says.
Maria Patisoni
Maria Patisoni is 21 years old and also received a US$27 cash transfer in addition to Corn Soya Blend nutritive porridge when she was breastfeeding her child. This was part of efforts to make sure breastfeeding mothers have the energy to give their children a good start in life.
“I was not feeling well after my baby Salome was born. I know that a good diet was important to keep up my energy, but during that period I could not afford much,” says Maria.
“My child and I both had enough food.”
Maria relies on odd jobs like farming to feed her family, which includes her two siblings and grandmother who live with her and take care of 7-month old Salome when she has to work. Mangochi is a dry area, where farming jobs are often hard to come by, so the cash she received during the lean season alongside the nutritious porridge was a lifeline for her family.
“With the money, I bought maize, beans, cooking oil, some fruit and some meat. Because of this, my child and I both had enough food.”
Bertha Masamba
“Now that she is 4 years old and healthier, she can start school in the next academic year.”
“Rebecca is much healthier now and I know the importance of feeding her all the right food. Now that she is 4 years old and healthier, she can start school in the next academic year,” Bertha Masamba says of her daughter, who was able to graduate from the nutrition support programme.
During the 2018/2019 lean season in Malawi, WFP partnered with the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) to facilitate cash transfers to over 5,000 families benefiting from life-saving nutritional support, to ensure that nutritional gains are not compromised due to lack of food. This support has helped improve the conditions of those receiving nutrition support, allowing them to graduate from the programme.
