Why Malawi's cost of living crisis is a matter of survival

Share I have just returned from Malawi, where I saw first-hand how SCIAF is supporting families and communities facing enormous challenges. Meeting people and hearing their stories brought home not only the difficulties they face, but also the extraordinary strength, dignity and resilience they show every day. Through our trusted local partners, SCIAF is helping communities adapt to climate change and cope with hunger by improving access to clean water, solar energy and climate-resilient farming. When disasters strike, SCIAF provides emergency food, shelter and essential support. It also works alongside marginalised communities, including people living with disabilities and albinism, to improve their income and exercise their rights – which can often involve challenging cultural norms. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world and relies heavily on farming, imported fuel and fertiliser and foreign aid to function. The country is currently facing a severe cost of living crisis, with many families struggling to afford the most basic food staples, fuel and transport as prices continue to rise faster than incomes. Here in Scotland, this week's 'Programme for Government' included proposals to introduce a "price ceilings on some essential food items". Not surprising – have you seen the price of bread and eggs? Lorraine Currie, chief executive of SCIAF (Image: SCIAF) In Malawi, food and essential goods have become even more expensive than in the UK. Inflation is around 23%, with food inflation at 35%, compared to 3.8% in the UK. Families are facing soaring prices with no safety net to fall back on. A bag of maize now costs more than the minimum monthly wage. Read More: 1984 review: Citizens Theatre delivers a powerful new take on Orwell's classic The bigger message behind Westminster's potential Jackdaw decision Next generation of fashion designers showcased on the runway at V&A Dundee Glasgow lanes should be revamped to help women and girls feel safer, councillor says What struck me most was that many everyday items cost much the same as they do in Scotland, despite average incomes being a fraction of those in the UK. The gap between what things cost and what people earn is almost impossible to comprehend until you see it for yourself. People in Malawi earn about £550 a year, while in the UK the average salary is £29,600. This week's Programme for Government included proposals to introduce a price ceilings on some essential food items (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) So how did this happen? Rising global oil prices linked to the USA and Iran conflict, poor harvests caused by climate shocks, and soaring fuel costs are all driving up the price of maize, the country's staple food, and other essential goods. Together, these pressures are making daily life extremely difficult for millions of people across Malawi. Since returning home, I have found myself thinking often about the people I met and the conversations we shared. Their stories are not easily forgotten and will stay with me. I sat with a young mother on the roadside who was carefully counting out her last few coins to buy a small bag of maize flour that costs more than it does in my local shop in Scotland. She told me how she stretches it over several days, so her children have something to eat each day. I think too of the father I met in a rural village, holding an empty jerry can as he explained to me the crushing cost of fuel - more than here in Scotland. He simply couldn't afford the journey to take his sick child to hospital. And there was the grandmother who welcomed me into her home, who described how every day she must choose between buying soap to keep her grandchildren clean, or maize to feed their hungry bellies. One of the hardest conversations I had was with people living with albinism in Malawi, who face discrimination, stigma and the constant risk of attack. For many, the choice is stark: travel alone to farm or collect water, risking attack or stay hidden at home where they are safer but unable to grow food or earn a living. (Image: Derek McArthur) I met families forced to make impossible choices every day: whether to buy food for today or fertiliser for next season's crops; whether to spend money on fuel to get produce to market or on feeding their children; whether to keep a child in school or have them work in the fields to help the family survive. The visit also put the cost of living pressures we are experiencing in Scotland into a much starker perspective for me. I know many families here are struggling as household budgets are squeezed and prices remain high. Those struggles are real. In Malawi, I saw how the same pressures can become a matter of survival. For all the struggles they shared with me, what shone through was their immense courage, their deep resilience, and their remarkable capacity to still find joy in family and community, despite everything. Families in Malawi have an impossible choice to make (Image: mikroman6/Damian Shields) Behind these statistics are real people: parents doing everything they can to provide for their families, and communities showing extraordinary resilience in the face of immense hardship. I share these experiences not to compare suffering, but to encourage reflection. When the cost of living rises in Scotland, it is difficult. When it rises in Malawi, it's a matter of life and death. The next time we talk about the cost of living, please spare a thought for families in Malawi and ask ourselves: if we can see this reality, how can we ignore it? How can we look away? Lorraine Currie is the Chief Executive of the Scottish Catholic International Aid Agency (SCIAF)Share Get involved with the news