2024 was a difficult year in Malawi and also a difficult year for Impact Malawi. The country faced a severe decline in food security with an estimated 5.7 million people experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity between October 2024 and March 2025. During these months many of our villagers were not able to feed their families. By the end of 2024 Impact Malawi was feeding many more of the most vulnerable in our villages than ever before. We actually ran out of maize early in January and used all of our reserve money to purchase enough to get us through to this year's harvest.

Those of you who donated to last year's maize fundraiser made a huge difference in the lives of more than 800 children and vulnerable adults in the 30 plus villages that are served by Impact Malawi. The area in which Impact Malawi works did not receive any help from the government or other NGO's. Had it not been for Impact Malawi's feeding program many of these children and adults would have fallen sick and died due to the weakness that comes from malnutrition. For many of these months the porridge we served was the only meal they had to eat in a day. 

This month's encouraging news is that the harvest in the central region of Malawi where we work was good this year. This is the first time in many years that our villagers will be able to harvest or purchase food for a reasonable price. We can cut back on our feeding program for a few months. The concerning news is that the harvest in the other regions of Malawi was not good due to droughts and flooding. This means that vendors are pouring into our region to buy up maize to sell in the northern and southern regions. The government has expressed concern that supplies won't last and the prices will rise again significantly in the coming months. The cost of a 50 kg bag of maize rose from the 50,000 mwk ($40 CAD) we paid last year to 110,000 mwk ($90 CAD) in January of 2025. It is now back down to 70,000 mwk ($57 CAD) but will most likely rise again in May or June. The withdrawal of USAID has already had a negative effect on the economy. 

To find out more, please visit www.impactmalawi.org