Drought in Zimbabwe Causes Rising Hunger and Malnutrition
Zimbabwe is grappling with a severe drought that has led to a significant rise in malnutrition, affecting nearly half the population. The government allocated $7.6 million this year to support 7,300 persons with disabilities, but the escalating crisis now requires an additional $1.5 million for essential services.
In May, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a state of disaster, highlighting the need for $2 billion to tackle the drought. The situation is dire, with regions like the Mudzi district seeing the Kapotesa dam dry up, leaving villagers to travel long distances for odd jobs to buy food.
Many families in Mudzi have reduced their meals to just two per day. Over the past three months, malnutrition cases have surged by 20%, prompting local health experts to develop a nutritional porridge called maworesa from locally sourced ingredients.
The drought has also severely impacted Malawi and Zambia, adding to the regional crisis. In Zimbabwe, 7.6 million people, nearly half of the country’s population, require aid. In early June, the United Nations launched a $429 million drought appeal for Zimbabwe, but funding has been slow to arrive.
UNICEF Zimbabwe’s Yves Willemot stressed the severe impact on children and pregnant women, calling for urgent international support to address the worsening situation. The drought has forced many Zimbabweans to seek social protection assistance, with the number of vulnerable individuals expected to rise.
James Tshuma, a farmer in Mangwe district, described the situation as desperate. “Our crops have dried up, and we have nothing to harvest. We need immediate help to survive this crisis,” he said.
The need for comprehensive international assistance becomes increasingly urgent to prevent further deterioration of living conditions in Zimbabwe and the surrounding region, as the drought continues.
Source: Africanews
