The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), and its stakeholders have (13th August, 2019) converged on Mponela, Dowa for the final review of the 2018/19 Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Programme (2018/19 LS-FIRP).

The one-day meeting, which is being held with financial assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP) is aimed at reviewing how the 2018/19LS-FIRP was implemented, share experiences, best practices, challenges and lessons learnt to inform subsequent programmes.

Speaking when he officially opened the meeting at Linde Hotel, DoDMA’s Director of Disaster Response and Recovery Harris Kachale said the meeting could not have come at the right time.

“The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) recently undertook 2019 food security assessment and is finalizing the annual assessment report. Therefore, this review meeting is coming at a critical stage as we would soon be commencing preparations and designing of food insecurity response programme for the 2019/2020 consumption year.

“The discussions, decisions, lessons and recommendations from this review will be handy and serve as a springboard for ensuring that the forthcoming food insecurity response programme is successful and needs of the food insecure people are timely and appropriately addressed,” said Kachale.

Kachale then commended various stakeholders for successfully implementing the 2018/19 LS-FIRP.

“For the first time, government, through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs and the district councils successfully led the implementation of the humanitarian response programme which targeted over 3.3 million food-insecure people projected by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) in 27 districts, with food assistance.

“This achievement is a result of the concerted efforts by DoDMA, district councils, NGO partners, WFP, NFRA as well as other stakeholders including our community structures. The humanitarian response