Current Events in Malawi

Malawi to Launch New Nutrition, HIV and AIDS Project

 

The principal secretary of the Malawian Department of Nutrition and HIV/AIDS, Edith Mkawa, announced during a conference Monday, February 25, 2013 that Malawi is set to launch a new five-year Nutrition and HIV/AIDS program February 28, 2013. President Joyce Banda will preside over the function at Bingu International Conference Center.

The new program will focus largely on the reduction of childhood stunting, childhood and maternal anemia, and the prevention of HIV. Mkawa stated that while Malawi has made significant improvements on reducing HIV transmission rates, its prevalence rate still remains among the highest in the world, making prevention a priority. Some of the most recent statistics show about 900,000 to 1,000,000 people of all ages living with HIV in Malawi. (UNICEF)

Child stunting is an issue that is caused by under-nutrition that poses a large threat in Malawi. Those who suffer from it live with poor physical health throughout their lives and damaged cognitive abilities that limit their capacity to learn and earn a decent income. (CNN)

“Malawi has made significant gains in child survival and maternal health, but no significant improvements have been made so far on child survival and stunting. Stunting also has long term effects on cognitive development, school achievement, and maternal reproductive outcomes,” Mkawa explained.  

It is hoped that the implementation of this project will reduce levels of HIV transmission in both children and adults in addition to reducing stunting levels. Changing these statistics would greatly improve the overall welfare of the country. 

World Bank Lending to Malawi By Volume (in USD Millions)

Funding for this program is being provided by the World Bank, with the US providing about 80 million dollars in funding. About 50 million will go towards HIV and AIDS programming while 30 million will assist in the child nutrition portion of the program. Other money will come from Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). About 60% of this money is a grant, while 40% is a loan. 

Story link:

http://www.nyasatimes.com/2013/02/25/malawi-to-launch-nutrition-hiv-and-aids-project/