MULANJE, Malawi, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Barefoot Malawians trudged for miles in the hot sun on Friday to obtain food handouts as extreme hunger gripped the drought-stricken nation.
"I walked 10 km (six miles) from my village. I don't have any food in my house and I slept last night with an empty belly," said Rose Mary Nakhumwa, who came to get 50 kg of maize at a distribution point in Mulanje, 100 km southeast of the commercial capital of Blantyre.
The maize will feed her family of eight for a month and they will need at least a bag a month until the next harvest in April, aid agencies said.
Displaying astonishing strength and agility, even frail women are able to balance the 50 kg sacks on their heads as they begin the trek back to their villages.
Drought and an AIDS pandemic have left an estimated 5 million Malawians, almost half the population, needing food aid.
