Period covered by this Ops Update: 15 October to 31 October 2012
Appeal target (current): This Emergency Appeal seeks CHF 1,025,310 in cash, kind or services to support the Malawi Red Cross in delivering immediate assistance to 3,500 households (17,500 beneficiaries) for 9 months, and will be completed by the end of June 2013.
Appeal coverage: 0%;
Appeal history:
• This Emergency Appeal was launched on 15 October, 2012.
• Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF): No DREF allocation has so far been received, although CHF 100,000 was requested and has been approved.
• An in country Household Economic Security (HES) workshop is currently ongoing (29 October – 2 November). The findings of the assessment and outcomes of the workshop will be covered in the next operations update.
Summary: The June 2012 Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report highlights that 1.63 million people (of whom 277,000 are children) are at risk of food insecurity across Malawi for a period ranging between three to eight months.
Administratively, most of the areas at risk are in the central and southern parts of the country including Balaka, Blantyre, Chikhwawa, Dedza, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Ntcheu, Phalombe, Salima, Thyolo, and Zomba. This operation will focus on immediate assistance to worst affected households in Nsanje and Chikhwawa, and may expand into Machina, Zomba and Phalombe, based on the findings of ongoing assessment
MRCS is currently hosting a Household Economic Security (HES) specialist, supported by British Red Cross. The specialist is in the country for one week, facilitating a workshop with MRCS staff aimed at building capacity through robust analysis of existing food security information and identifying areas that need further specific food security assessment. The objective is to complement existing data focusing on areas where the national society can add value in reaching the most vulnerable. The workshop also aims to engage MRCS in addressing chronic food security challenges and strengthening the linkages between longer term programming including responses planned under the current emergency appeal (linking relief, recovery and development).
To date, no funds have yet been received for this appeal.
Donors are strongly urged to provide necessary support, as needs are critical and persistent. In particular, the window for preparing fields and planting new crops is short and needs to be capitalised on immediately to ensure food availability for families.