The European Commission last week allocated a supplementary 5 million euros to alleviate the food crisis that is presently afflicting the African state of Malawi, whose government was forced to declare a state of natural calamity last month due to persisting drought. The EU contribution, which is added to the 17 million already spent by the Union for Malawi since the beginning of the year, is being managed by the Humanitarian Office of the European Community (ECHO) in collaboration with the UN and local NGOs. It is calculated that a third of the over 13 million inhabitants of the country will not be able to satisfy their minimum food needs until the gathering of the next harvest in the spring. The situation is being worsened by generalized price rises, the political and economic instability of the region and the scourge of AIDS that continues to decimate the population, especially the old and children. For further info: www.europa.eu.int/comm/echo
