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Empowered Women Tell World Vision to Step Aside and Watch
Women in Malawi whose children have survived a severe food crisis thanks to a fortified high-protein food mix distributed by World Vision, are now developing their own mix – and saving their own children. The mix, locally called “likuni phala,” is a combination of soy beans and maize used to nurse malnourished children back to health. Unfortunately, the mix is expensive and hard to find in rural areas. However, last year World Vision taught rural women, who formed groups called “Mother Clubs,” to grow soy and maize. This year, 10 of these clubs grew nearly two tons of the ingredients to make the mix.
“These women were just introduced to growing soya this year, and they have learned quickly,” said Themba Phiri, coordinator of World Vision’s child survival project in the area.“ We are happy that the women have underlined the spirit of independence this year by even telling us to move aside as they handle the malnutrition cases themselves.”
More than 2,000 malnourished children have received the likuni phala in the area this year. However, the current food crisis continues to affect tens of millions throughout the southern Africa region. World Vision is providing emergency food supplies; agricultural development training; health care and nutrition, especially to young children, the elderly and those infected with the AIDS virus; economic development opportunities; and water and sanitation improvement to some 2.4 million people in Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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