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A New Dawn for Refugee Rights in Malawi

For more than 35 years, Malawi’s Refugees Act of 1989 has restricted refugeees’ freedom of movement, rights to gainful employment, education, property ownership and integration among others. On 9 October, the Special Law Commission presented its findings and recommendations for a proposed Refugee Bill that could change all this.

The proposed Bill adopts a rights-based approach, seeking to align Malawi’s refugee laws with its international commitments. It proposes equal access to basic, secondary, and tertiary education; recognises refugees’ rights to engage in economic activities, including employment and trade; and provides pathways to citizenship, to mention a few.

The proposed legislation reflects many of the changes that we have championed over the past five years. We hope the Bill will progress swiftly through the remaining legislative stages and become law, allowing refugees and asylum seekers to begin enjoying the rights and opportunities it seeks to guarantee.

Join us in calling for its swift passage into law.

Refugee Food Assistance Continues to Decline

For thousands of refugees in Dzaleka, putting food on the table will remain difficult as the World Food Programme (WFP), which provides monthly cash-based food assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers in Dzaleka, plans to shift to targeted assistance due to funding shortages.

From November 2026, the number of recipients is expected to drop from 64,000 to 35,000 most vulnerable refugees including the elderly, children, and those with disabilities.

The consequences of declining assistance are already severe, with some resorting to transactional sex and others to crime in desperate attempts to secure food

However, humanitarian assistance alone cannot provide a lasting solution. We hope that better refugee laws will help minimise the impact of continued donor fatigue by allowing refugees to legally use their skills, education, and creativity to earn a living and become more self-reliant.

WFP needs US$2.4 million to sustain reduced assistance through March 2027 and US$9.8 million to restore full rations.

We call on donors and humanitarian partners to step up their support and help restore food assistance for families in Dzaleka.

Remembering Elizabeth Niyomwungere

In the moth of October, we lost Elizabeth Niyomwungere, one of our clients, who passed away after a long battle with breast cancer.

We stood by her as she faced the challenges of accessing care, accompanying her through the long queues at Kamuzu Central Hospital’s Cancer Centre for treatment and check-ups.

With support from our partners, we also helped her access pain relief medication to manage the pain associated with her condition.

As we join her family and friends in mourning her passing, we express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported her and showed her love and care throughout her suffering.