Malawi

Natural Disasters

Swept by floods and parched by drought, the recurrence of natural disasters have scarred Malawi's landscape to the point that essential crops are barely able to push their way up through the fragile earth.

Widespread flooding washed away homes and destroyed crops in 2001.  The floods were closely followed by drought, resulting in the worst maize shortage in decades.

The most recent drought of 2006 was the worst of the decade, forcing over five million Malawians to endure starvation and malnutrition.   Of the victims, an estimated one million were pregnant women and children under the age of five.

Food shortages have stunted the growth of nearly half of all children born in Malawi in the last five years, according to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) figures.

Approximately 90 percent of Malawians rely on agriculture for their survival, according to the US Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook.   Such a heavy reliance on agriculture only increases any adverse effect that a natural disaster may have on a population.

Please donate today to ensure that Islamic Relief’s emergency response and development projects continue to serve the insecure populations of countries like Malawi.

Economic Instability

More than 65 percent of Malawi’s population lives under the national poverty line, while over 60 percent live on less than $2 a day, according to the United Nations’ 2007/2008 Human Development Report (HDR).

Although Islamic Relief’s emergency food allotment and Ramadan and Udhiyah/Qurbani food distributions have helped thousands of suffering Malawians, development projects are necessary to help cultivate a sense of self-sufficiency in Malawi.

Islamic Relief has been developing the infrastructure of Malawi while creating jobs and offering vocational training to its under-educated population.

Please donate today to ensure funding for such vital projects.

Islamic Relief in Malawi

Islamic Relief established an office in Malawi in 2006, following an official request by Malawi’s president for international humanitarian support.

At the time, a staggering portion of the region was suffering from a severe food shortage.

Responding rapidly, Islamic Relief began distributing food parcels and implementing development projects to restore Malawi’s ailing infrastructure.

Working in partnership with local communities, Islamic Relief also spearheaded initiatives meant to improve livelihoods and increase Malawians’ ability to cope with droughts.