Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to address the prevalence of hunger in Malawi.

DFID has a significant programme of ongoing support in health, education, agriculture, water and sanitation and economic development, particularly in rural areas and with the private sector, for growth, jobs, incomes and food insecurity. We support increasing access to justice for women and vulnerable groups, accountability and governance reforms.

The UK was one of the first development partners to respond to Malawi’s international appeal for emergency aid in October 2015. The UK has now committed £14.5m through partners including the World Food Programme, UNICEF and an International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO) consortium led by Save the Children. This support includes:

• Food for over 800,000 people, including pre-positioning of food, nutrition supplies and livestock vaccines.
• Cash transfers for up to 450,000 people who live near functioning markets but do not have the means to purchase food
• Mass screening of up to 800,000 children to identify urgent nutritional support needs
• Specialist supplies for up to 75,000 children and others suffering from acute malnutrition
• Vital protection support to vulnerable people, including women and girls, in displacement and refugee camps