Background

In 2002, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) responded to a silent crisis — famine in Southern Africa. PDA was successful in working with the Presbyterian Church in Malawi provide hope to people of the region affected by drought through a program of relief consisting mainly of food aid and basic medical assistance.

In October 2004, the program began a recovery and mitigation phase, with the primary objective of empowering affected communities to regain their potential and become self-reliant. Another drought in May 2005 held the program in the recovery and mitigation phase and attempted to avoid a repeat of the large-scale human suffering and death related to hunger that was seen in 2002.

In July 2006, the Chingale Neno Recovery and Development Program (CHINRAD) was formed to continue the work begun by the church. CHINRAD is working to promote self-reliance through intensified developmental services such as food security, child survival and psychosocial programs.

Goals

The program goal of CHINRAD is to rehabilitate community functioning at equivalent or better levels prior to the crisis of famine and HIV/AIDS.

Areas of primary focus are:

• Food security — including extension services, crop production, crop diversification, small scale irrigation, land resource management, livestock restocking and trainings.
• Child survival — including environmental health education, provision of unimix to severely malnourished children, HIV/AIDS and other trainings, etc.
• Psychosocial programs — including Community Based Child Care (CBCC), adult literacy, recreation, child protection, school feeding program and women participation, etc.

Achievements — October 2007 to January 2008

Training

• 80 joint recovery and development committees and 40 chiefs attended two sensitization workshops.
• 100 farmers attended two crop husbandry workshops; participants, in turn, then trained 250 community farmers.
• 400 participants attended two workshops on HIV/AIDS awareness; they were then able to reach 600 communities with HIV/AIDs messages.
• 15 participants attended literacy instructor sessions.

Maize production

• 20 farmers clubs were formed, with 20 members each.
• 400 gardens were conserved.
• 2 compost pits were made and applied to crop fields.
• 32 metric tons (mt) of improved maize seed, 20mt of basal fertilizer and 20mt of urea fertilizers were purchased.
• The crops of 200 farmers are reported at looking very encouraging; the crops of 200 farmers were washed away by floods.

Crop diversification

Soya Bean

• 400 women farmers formed groups of 20 members each.
  Each farmer was issued 2mt of soya bean seed.
• 60 of the gardens are having a good crop and expect better yield; 40 gardens were affected by water logging.

Sorghum

• 250 farmers formed groups to diversify into crops other than maize alone.
• 1mt of sorghum seed was purchased and distributed to the participating farmers.
• 50 gardens were affected by flooding; crops that were not affected are showing encouraging growth.

Cassava Cuttings - Families will supplement their maize with cassava as home food and will also sell some produce to pay for household expenses

• 300 farmers formed groups.
• 50 sticks of cassava cuttings were distributed to each farmer, benefiting 300 households.
• Two farmers have reported sending their children back to school.

Sweet Potato Vines

• 250 farmers formed groups.
• 24 kg of sweet potato vines was distributed to each farmer, totaling 6mt.
• 50 households reported having sweet potatoes; 23 gardens were flooded and the soil washed away from plants.

Animal Husbandry

• 30 paravets were trained on animal husbandry and disease control.
• At least 53 goats (Chingale and Neno) have been treated.

Rehabilitation of Shallow Wells

• 7 shallow wells were rehabilitated in 4 villages.
• Reports of cholera have drastically reduced in the 4 villages.

Strategy

Developing appropriate preparedness capacity for rapid and appropriate response.

Responding rapidly and effectively to humanitarian need.
Working with others to promote cooperation with both local and international agencies and across professional sectors.

Developing skills and strengthening coping capacities within affected communities.