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Lucia White

The rains seem unpredictable, we don’t know when they’ll come back, so the future seems very uncertain.
Lucia White

Lucia White, 35, says this year’s drought in the baking southern Malawi district of Chikwawa is as bad as he can remember.

Even in cooler years it can often reach 40 degrees here – this has not been a cool year.

“A few years ago we had very bad flooding here, but this year there’s hardly any rain. It means not enough food, not enough water, the rivers dry up and the crops shrivel. It’s hard.”

Lucia supports his wife and three children by working his single acre of land, growing maize and sweet potato.

“It’s much worse than last year, I don’t know if we will have enough food.”

He says that the lack of water is also becoming a major issue.

“The shortage of rain is drying up the wells. People have to travel a long way for water. You get used to it but the rains seem unpredictable, we don’t know when they’ll come back, so the future seems very uncertain.”

Lucia says if they knew when the rain was coming they could prepare.

“It would help us to know when to plant, and if we had more food we could do more, make more, feel more secure. It’s hard for everyone when you depend on just what comes from the fields.”