Food Crisis
Swept by floods and parched by drought, repeated abuse has scarred Malawi's landscape, crops barely able to push their way up through the fragile earth. Famine hangs over 3 million Malawians, as families are unable to grow enough to feed themselves.

In remote rural areas people have been reduced to eating grass or weeds.
In 2001, widespread flooding washed away homes and destroyed crops. This was closely followed by drought, causing the worst maize shortage since 1949. In the year previous to this, the government sold its grain reserves to pay off part of an international debt. Malawi is now dependent on foreign imports, but at a time when at least seven countries in southern Africa are shadowed by famine, fierce competition for maize raises the price of imported food beyond the reach of the poor.

The AIDS epidemic is leaving a trail of destruction across the countryside. Families have to stay at home to tend to the sick, leaving no time to cultivate their land. On many farms, only orphans and grandparents remain. As children flock the streets to beg for food, prostitution of women and children becomes commonplace, and the virus spreads with ferocious speed. Outbreaks of cholera have killed at least another thousand. Funerals are now a part of everyday rural life.

What is Islamic Relief Doing to Help?
NGOs and UN agencies such as the WFP are working to alleviate the situation, but resources are limited. Emergency food aid presents one face of the humanitarian coin - long-term projects are also needed to increase food security.

As a response to this need, Islamic Relief has implemented the Integrated Small Farmer Empowerment Programme. With enough planning and support, measures can be taken to ensure better harvests in the future, and to avert further crises.

In February 2002, President Muluzi declared a state of emergency. He has since written a letter of thanks to Islamic Relief, recognizing the importance of IR's aid work in Malawi.