By Henry Chungu, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, The Hunger Project – Malawi
A cooking demonstration in Malawi hosted by nutrition animators. Photo: The Hunger Project
To create a world without hunger, we need to invest in holistic solutions that support people to feel empowered to overcome their situation and drive change in their communities.
Hunger is caused by many interconnected challenges. For example, around the world, young girls are forced to marry early to reduce the burden on their families. These girls, not fully developed, start having babies early. Malnourished mothers give birth to malnourished babies, who then suffer from impaired cognitive and physical growth, preventing them from reaching their full potential. In Malawi, the dire consequences of malnutrition are evident, with over 500,000 children under five experiencing its effects, according to UNICEF.
Malawi village. Photo: The Hunger Project
The story of Bitina Yona, a 40-year-old widow from the Salima District of Malawi, illustrates the challenges faced by rural adolescent girls and women. Born into poverty, Bitina’s education was cut short due to financial constraints, forcing her out of school at a young age. Marrying early at 14, her struggles intensified after losing her husband. Determined to provide for her family, Bitina took on odd jobs in neighboring villages, scraping together whatever she could.
“In 2019,” Bitina recounted, “hope arrived in the form of The Hunger Project-Malawi, introducing me to village banks. Joining a Village Savings and Loan group, I began saving and eventually accessed a loan of US$10, kickstarting a food processing business selling fritters at local markets. Through diligent saving and hard work, I accrued US$160 in the first cycle, using it to invest in brick-making for a new home.” By the end of 2022, Bitina’s determination paid off, yielding dividends of US$300 from the savings group. With this, she purchased corrugated iron sheets to upgrade her home.
Bitina’s next step toward achieving her vision of a hunger-free future was to become one of The Hunger Project’s trained nutrition volunteers, or nutrition animators. In this role, she has been trained to lead community cooking demonstrations and create awareness of the importance of prenatal and postnatal care, as well as breastfeeding. Animators also advocate for regular pre- and postnatal check-ups to monitor the nutritional status of pregnant women, assess maternal mental health, and offer appropriate guidance and interventions. Animators’ efforts ensure that pregnant women, lactating mothers, and young toddlers have access to nutrient-rich foods.
A cooking demonstration in Malawi hosted by nutrition animators. Photo: The Hunger Project
With her knowledge of nutrition, Bitina ensures that her family always has well-balanced, nutritious meals. Her healthy children are now able to attend school. She has also ventured into farming, raising chickens and ducks. Bitina dreams of a brighter future for her children, aspiring for them to become healthcare professionals, and plans to expand her farming efforts to include cattle and goats for both sustenance and economic growth.
A workshop under a tree in a community in Malawi. Photo: The Hunger Project
Many adolescent girls are in Bitina’s situation. They face the same challenges: dropping out of school, early marriage, and raising children as single parents in the face of poverty. To break this cycle of malnutrition, hunger, and poverty, there need to be concerted efforts by all stakeholders, particularly policymakers. Investing in the people who live with hunger and ensuring that they are equipped with the knowledge and confidence to create change in their communities, will build long-term resilience and drive sustainable development in rural communities.