Hunger for Health

Spring marks the season of new life in the UK. Yet in Malawi, as food prices soar while families anxiously await the coming harvest, these are known as the ‘hunger months’. Hunger bites particularly hard for those already fighting sickness and pain.

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Samuel was 7 years old when his mother received the devastating news that he had heart failure. Medicine was unaffordable or unavailable but so was food.

Samuel was sick and hungry when he arrived at EMMS International’s partner, Nkhoma Mission Hospital.

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The fight goes on to make essential medication and pain relief accessible and affordable to families trapped in the vicious cycle of sickness and poverty. However, even when medicines are available, their usefulness is limited by the lack of food.

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Hunger is an enemy of health. Samuel’s mother, Anna, raises her two sons alone. Please donate today to end hunger and bring health for this precious family.

 

When Samuel first got sick she travelled to Lilongwe, a huge investment of time and money, but there was nothing they could do to help. Undeterred, she brought Samuel to Nkhoma Mission Hospital, which meant spending more time and hard-earned cash on transport to get there.

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As the hospital team learned of Samuel’s condition and spent time with the family through home visits, they realised that medicine alone was not the answer. Samuel and his family were hungry.

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Anna was enrolled in the hospital’s garden training programme. She learned how to start and maintain a garden that would give Samuel and the rest of the family a nutritious diet. With the garden to supplement their regular diet of maize, they are able to enjoy a more nutritious diet and are also less vulnerable to food shortages during the hunger months. 

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The garden training programme is part of EMMS International’s Chifundo project, which takes a holistic approach to help patients and families when a cure isn’t available. Medical help is enhanced by legal, spiritual and nutritional support.

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This spring, through our Hunger for Health appeal, we’re asking you to help bring an end to hunger for more families like Samuel’s and give them the means they need to grow healthier and stronger.

Malawi faces many challenges in overcoming its battles with hunger and food insecurity. Women bear the majority of that burden and make up 65% of agricultural labour, yet at the same time don’t have enough food for their families. 

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Women  like Anna have the added responsibility of caring for a family member who is sick. With the right support, Anna’s family now have the food they urgently need and the continued home visits for medical help.

Healthy families make healthy communities. Anna can not only share food with her neighbours, but also knowledge and skills to help them grow their own.

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You can help families like that of Anna and Samuel by supporting the Hunger for Health Appeal. Just £34 gives a family the input they need to start their own nutritious garden and supports their fight against hunger and sickness.