CADECOM supports people of Nthunduwala Camp with Cash and Food Aid

The Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM) has pledged commitment to continue helping government efforts to provide support and assistance to households that were affected by the El Nino weather pattern in the country which resulted in low crop produce and subsequent hunger.

CADECOM in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, with support from Caritas International, distributed financial aid and Fortified Corn-Soya Blend to people facing food scarcity at the camp and surrounding communities.

The Food Crisis project is part of responding to the request made by the president of the republic of Malawi, to assist people affected by hunger in the country.

Speaking during the distribution, Pastoral Coordinator and Deputy Secretary for the Episcopal Conference of Malawi Father Joseph Sikwese stated that as a church, they will engage the government to find a permanent settlement for people living at the Nthunduwala camp.

“We, as the church, will strive to do everything possible to provide these people with stable support.”

Lameck Machisa, who represented the Kasungu district commissioner, stated that the assistance provided by the Catholic Church will help mitigate the food shortage problems faced by the people at the camp.

In his remarks the camp leader, Stanley Alison Nkhoma, expressed gratitude to the Catholic Church for the financial assistance, saying it would help the people access food, and he appealed to the government to find them a permanent settlement so they could live in secure housing.

“We have been at this camp since 2012. We would appreciate it if the government could provide us with a permanent settlement so that we can live comfortably, as no one should be a stranger in their own country.”

The people from several district within Malawi came to Kasungu in the 90s to work on large tobaco estates, and after the estates ceased operations, they were relocated to the Nthunduwala camp in 2012.

A total of 100 households received cash amounting to K100,000.00 each, while 120 other households with children under the age of five received 15 kgs of fortified corn-soya blend per household.

This initiative is part of CADECOM-Caritas Malawi’s Food Crisis Response Project, funded by Caritas International (Caritas Japan, Caritas Slovenia and others).