Families in Dzaleka Refugee Camp are facing their harshest reality yet. Funding cuts to humanitarian programmes have left over 53,000 refugees in a daily battle to survive, with food rations slashed, clinics running dry, and livelihoods slipping away.
“I was a journalist in Congo. Here, I am nothing,” says Didier Cikara Zirimwabagabo, who fled violence in the DRC in 2018. Now in Dzaleka with his family, Didier watches his wife suffer from a chronic illness with no proper treatment available. “They only give her painkillers,” he told UNHCR..
Until recently, families received MK18,000 (around US$10) per person monthly. That has dropped to MK15,000 — and even that is expected to stop completely soon. The World Food Programme warns that without emergency funding, severe hunger will hit thousands, including children, women, and the elderly.
Medical partners have already started limiting care due to unpaid service fees. Training programmes, youth workshops, and community support activities have halted. By next month, many NGOs will withdraw completely unless funds are restored.
Despite calls for long-term solutions — including giving refugees access to farmland and job opportunities — little has been done.
According to UNHCR, only 12% of the US$26.3 million needed for Malawi operations in 2025 has been received so far.
Share this story to raise awareness. Dzaleka is on the edge, but not beyond hope.
Read the full UNHCR article here.
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