What is happening in Malawi?
Malawi is among the poorest countries in the world and is vulnerable to weather-related disasters, including droughts, floods and cyclones. High dependence on agriculture exacerbates the impact of climate shocks, which contribute to failing harvests.
Following the Russia-Ukraine war, 80% of households reported significant increases in the price of basic items such as maize, cassava, sweet potato, maize flour, rice, and fuel, contributing to the food insecurity emergency. In September, 2022, 70% of households felt their financial situation was worse than one year earlier. In that year, half of the households applied for loans to cover mainly purchases of food and/or inputs for their non-farm businesses.
Malawi recently experienced the deadliest outbreak of cholera in its history. The first cases were reported in February 2022. By December, it was declared a national public health emergency. By the time the Malawi Ministry of Health had officially declared the outbreak was contained, over 58,000 cases had been reported and over 1,700 people had died.