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| Workshop tools > Mitigating impact: journalistic version |
Mitigating impacts of AIDS in Malawi |
| - Photos & story by Jane Beesley/Oxfam GB |
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| Agnes & friends in Wanama | Olive Joseph with a bowl of pesticide, in front of her field which was being attacked by armyworms |
| “I am happy that you have remembered us. I thought you had gone forever. Thank you very much for the cassava cuttings and sweet potato vines. They will help us very much. They will replace the maize we have lost through the armyworm attack. My four grandchildren who are orphans will have something to eat.” |
| - Olive Joseph |
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Olive Joseph sits straight legged and straight backed waiting patiently to receive a bag of sweet potato vines. In January her field in southern Malawi was devastated when armyworms wiped out maize that was already suffering from drought, leaving her worried about how she was going to feed the grandchildren left in her care. In response the Oxfam Malawi Humanitarian Team distributed cassava cuttings or sweet potato vines to over 3,000 households.
“I like sweet potatoes and they are fast maturing but I haven’t grown them a lot as it’s difficult to get hold of the vines.” – Olive Joseph Opening the distribution in Wanama village, Mr Kwathe, the Crop Officer for Mulanje Agricultural Office, explained the project: “We are going to run a recovery process for the cassava and sweet potatoes. A committee has been formed to look into this and to monitor progress. Once the crop matures, in about 3 months time for sweet potatoes and 6 months time for cassava, you are supposed to give back two 50kg bags of sweet potato vines or one bundle of 16 one-metre cuttings of cassava.” |
| The distribution is part of a wider intervention to help farmers to grow a variety of crops. Last year’s food crisis came as a result of the lack of availability and accessibility to maize nationwide. One immediate cause was the poor harvest caused by erratic rains. This worsened the situation of many families affected by AIDS, who have severe labour constraints, minimal income, and whose assets have often been used up for health care. Cassava and sweet potatoes are more drought resistant and require less labour than maize. Together with other agricultural interventions1, this should lead to a wider diversification of crop production and consequently increased food security. |
”I have already prepared my field if you want we can go and see.” - Olive Joseph |
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”I’m happy that Oxfam has come with the sweet potatoes. It’s an indication that there are people willing to assist us. It will help reduce the impact of hunger.”
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| - Headman Wanama |
Cassava Cuttings
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Sweet Potatoes
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Target Groups
The first criteria were households that had been affected by the armyworms, elegant grasshoppers and erratic rains. The second criteria included households, which are
The households were selected through the community’s Village Relief Committees2and Agricultural Extension Workers. They will conduct the follow up to find out who actually benefited, and whether this support actually met the needs of highly vulnerable families. Novib/Oxfam Netherlands, Oxfam New Zealand & OCAA/ OxfamAustralia are all supporting the livelihoods work, such as strengthening food security, being carried out by the Malawi Food Crisis Response in conjunction with the Joint Oxfam Programme in Malawi. |
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Contact: Jane Beesley
Information & Communications Officer coi@oxfam.africa-online.net Tel: +265 1 620 831/813 Fax: +265 1 625 104 Mobile: +265 (0) 8 201619 |
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