CHIKWAWA, Malawi, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- In Ndamela Village of Chikwawa District, 95 km south of the commercial city of Blantyre, the severity of hunger is laid bare among local Malawians.

Most residents go to bed on empty stomachs; at times, they simply warm water, add a pinch of salt, and drink it before calling it a night. On better days, when they manage to find piecework, they can afford a single meal.

"If we are not lucky in securing piecework for the day, that means no hard meal for us; but to avoid sleeping on a completely empty stomach, we prepare warm water with salt and share amongst ourselves before going to bed," Chrissy Ofesi told Xinhua.

The 55-year-old woman lives with her husband and five children, including her grandchildren. Her eldest son hustles for piecework and, earning at most 2,000 Malawi kwacha (1.15 U.S. dollars) on a good day. Ofesi and her husband also strive to support their household of seven members.

"My husband and I move around collecting jacaranda seeds, which we sell to cattle farmers at 200 Malawi Kwacha per bag. Usually, we just manage to collect and sell two bags per day," said Ofesi.

A cupful of maize costs 500 Malawi Kwacha, which means the two parents' incomes and that of their son are able to feed the family merely three cups of the corn, and the remaining change is spent on milling and buying relish for, at least, a single meal.

The younger members of the family go to school mostly with no food, making it difficult for them to concentrate in class, and consequently, they fail exams.

The situation is even worse for another woman, Joyce M'bwedza, a widow who looks after eight children and grandchildren.

"To secure daily meals for my family, I do some washing for people, and I earn 3,000 Malawi Kwacha," explained M'bwedza, adding that sometimes she works in others' fields to get money to buy some food.

M'bwedza's children eat porridge before leaving for school and have the same meal again when they return home. As the rainy season approaches, M'bwedza's biggest worry is where to get seeds to plant, as she used to consume the seeds when the situation got worse.

A total of 44,000 people are in a hunger crisis in the district following bad weather conditions, including floods and tropical cyclones, according to Chikwawa District Disaster Risk Management Officer Charity Machika.

The 44,000 food-insecure people in the district are among the 4 million Malawians identified by the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee as those facing food shortages.

President of Malawi Peter Mutharika has declared a state of disaster in 11 districts, including Chikwawa, while also appealing to well-wishers and the international community for immediate humanitarian support.

In response, the Chinese government has already started taking action, as recently acknowledged by Malawi's Foreign Affairs Minister George Chaponda.

"On the issue of food security, as you know an emergency has been declared, and immediately that was done, the People's Republic of China has come out with various assistance in the food sector, which will be very helpful," Chaponda said at the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China held at the Chinese Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi's capital, on Oct. 29.

During the event, Chinese Ambassador to Malawi Lu Xu also reaffirmed her government's commitment to helping Malawi ease food insecurity.

"China's assistance will come not as charity, but as empowerment. We shall provide not only grain, but the tools to build your own breadbasket. The day will come when Malawi too shall hold its food security in its own hands," said Lu. ■