Protracted Relief and Rehabilitation Operation (PRRO) 105860
In January 2008, WFP commenced PRRO 105860 to assist food-insecure people suffering from the effects of natural disasters and HIV/AIDS. The project targets vulnerable people affected by HIV and those requiring therapeutic or supplementary feeding. Under the same project, a Cash and Food for Livelihoods pilot project provided cash and/or food to some 11,100 households in the districts of Machinga and Chikwawa between October 2008 and May 2009. From May 2010 to January 2011, 500 households were targeted under a Food for Assets (FFA) component aimed at promoting tree planting, water conservation through dam construction and food security through the creation of productive community assets.
As part of its nutrition interventions, WFP distributes food assistance in all districts of Malawi through 96 nutrition rehabilitation units (NRUs). These units target severely malnourished children and their carers . Moderately malnourished children are given food rations twice a month through supplementary feeding activities in 219 centres in the country.
School Meals Programme(SMP)
In January 2009, WFP launched a new development project to provide food assistance to children in primary schools. The objectives of the SMP are: (1) to reduce dropout rates; (2) to promote regular attendance; (3) to increase enrolment; (4) to improve children’s ability to concentrate and learn, and (5) to reinforce Government’s capacity to implement the national school meals programme. Under Development Programme 105810 some 683,000 pupils are being fed in 681 schools in 13 districts and a total of 1,230 Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS) beneficiaries have been assisted in Ntcheu, Machinga and Mangochi districts.
PRRO 200087: The new refugee project began on 1 January 2010 and will be operational through December 2012. The project will target some 38,200 beneficiaries per year including refugees and Malawians from the surrounding community through general food distributions in the Dzaleka refugee camp in Dowa District and at the Karonga refugee transit shelter.
WFP continues to provide food assistance to refugees at Dzaleka Camp, including the new arrivals at Karonga Transit Shelter (the main entry point for asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions). WFP feeds approximately 14,000 refugees each month.
Purchase for Progress (P4P)
WFP is working to connect farmers in Malawi to markets through its Purchase for Progress initiative. P4P Malawi aims to improve smallholders' agricultural productivity and the marketing of staple crops while at the same time boosting domestic production. The project is focused on strengthening the marketing capacities of smallholder farmer organizations, small and medium-scale traders and processors. Through P4P, WFP plans to purchase almost 38,000 MT of food commodities (cereals, pulses and corn-soya blend) from smallholder farmers, small- and medium- scale traders and processors.
Additional information on WFP Malawi: