Barely three days after President Lazarus Chakwera declared a State of Disaster in 23 out of 28 districts in the country, Unicef has said about 4.59 million children in Malawi have been affected by El Niño-induced prolonged heatwave and drought which has gripped several countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Unicef indicates, in a statement released Monday, that children have been negatively affected because necessities they need, notably clean water, food, shelter, learning and safety, are being impacted by climate shocks.
According to Unicef, inadequate rains, floods and prolonged dry spells have led to severe damage to crops and food production, thereby impacting two million Malawian households— translating to about nine million people— of whom 4.59 million are children.
Unicef Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Eva Kadilli said community members who depend on agriculture face crop loss, resulting in children becoming malnourished or being forced to work to support income generation.
“Challenges in accessing clean water expose children to disease, affect livelihoods, and cause forced displacement,” Kadilli says.
Unicef says, in response to climate change and other crises in the region, it is working to safeguard children through programmes and services that are designed for adaptability.
The programmes include ensuring acutely malnourished children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, are reached with treatment services and children in all affected areas are reached with prevention interventions such as nutrient-dense food and micronutrient supplements, counseling and cash transfers.
Further, Unicef is working on building shock responsive education systems that are prepared and can ensure continuity of learning during and after crises.
This, according to Unicef, includes investing in multiple remote learning modalities, both digital and non-digital, accessible to all children, including the most vulnerable.
According to Kadilli, extreme weather is expected to be the norm in Eastern and Southern Africa in the years to come.
“As we work to improve the resilience of children, families and communities by strengthening shock responsive social services, we must also come together to reduce the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations in the region,” Kadilli said.
Addressing the nation on Saturday night, Chakwera said preliminary assessment indicates that close to two million farming households have been affected.
According to Chakwera, specifically, 749,113 hectares of maize have been affected, representing 44.3 percent of the national crop area, adding that other important crops such as rice, soya beans, cowpeas, and groundnuts have also been affected.
“Our initial estimate is that close to 600,000 metric tonnes of maize valued at K357.6 billion will be required for this humanitarian response programme.
“There is no one in this country who is at fault for any of the disasters that keep coming against us. But if we stand united and put away the politics of pettiness and negativity to confront this latest disaster, there is no one in this country who should die because of hunger,” Chakwera said.