By GIDEON NYENDWA
ABOUT 400 households in Luumbo, Fumbo and Chama communities in Gwembe have benefitted from the Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM) nutritional scheme in areas adversely affected by the drought in the 2023/2024 farming season.
PAM with support from Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is implementing a US$500, 000 two-year programme in three districts in the country, which include Gwembe, Nkeyema and Lwampa to complement Government intervention in addressing the effects of the drought.
PAM executive director, Francis Kasamala said during the distribution of food packs in Gwembe that Government was giving maize to the people through community maize sales and that PAM had identified a gap in the package which was lack of protein.
Mr Kasamala explained that PAM was working to fill the nutrient gap by providing a protein.
He said PAM was targeting pregnant women and lactating mothers and children who were not receiving enough protein.
“We have already procured enough for the next six months and secured orders and as such you will be seeing us here every month this time. We are distributing for December and we will be back next month,” Mr Kasamala said.
He also said with the flexibility that the funders have provided them with, they would access the responses to the disaster and would venture into another activity within the relief spectrum to assist build resilience in the affected households.
“PAM will be giving vegetable oils, salt, chlorine and 5kg High Energy Protein Supplements to each of the 400 households per month,” he said.
And Gwembe District Commissioner Killian Chikandula thanked PAM for considering his district to be an area where they would implement their program.
He said as district, they have been hit by the drought twice, the first being during the 2022/2023 farming season when farmer only harvested 33 percent of their crops.
Mr Chikandula lamented that in 2024, the farmers harvested almost nothing because of the severe drought that had severely hit the southern part of country causing severe crop failure.
Meanwhile, Gwembe District Health Director, Dr. Nkuta Kasweka said the drought had given birth to a lot of diseases stemming from lack of proper nutrition.
And Conrad N. Hilton Foundation programmes officer based in the United States of America Robert Miyashiro said his organisation had realised that food security was not something that would be handled overnight and their support through PAM would continue.
