Cadecom launches campaign against hunger
The Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (Cadecom), a relief and development arm of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), has launched a campaign to help reduce the number of hungry and malnourished people.
Launching the campaign in Lilongwe on Monday, Archbishop Tarcizio Ziyaye of Lilongwe Archdiocese said one billion people in the world live without adequate food, which is detrimental to their dignity and rights.
Ziyaye said the church is also saddened to note, through the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Mvac), that close to 1.8 million people will miss their required food entitlements this year.
“The 164-member organisation of the Caritas International, of which Cadecom is one, is operating in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Know that there is enough food in the world, yet one person in eight does not get enough to eat every day,” said Ziyaye when he read out a statement on the campaign to journalists.
He said in some places in the country, affected populations are relying on food aid response programmes funded by government, the World Food Programme (WFP) and donors as well as other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Cadecom which are distributing food rations in 21 affected districts.
Ziyaye said following the launch of the campaign, which will run to 2025, Cadecom is calling for increased awareness on the right to food.
He said the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognises the right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food, as well as the fundamental right to be free from hunger.
Cadecom programme coordinator Martin Mazinga said there is need to intensify provision of modern agriculture services and technologies as well as enhancing traditional soil conservation in the country.
