Zimbabwe appeal

 

Grabbing lunch in the Student Union before wolfing down a tasty take-away after lectures might just be part of a normal day for you, but trekking miles to and from class with a rumbling stomach is far more the norm for many Zimbabwean kids.

 

Once known as the ‘bread basket’ of southern Africa because of its booming farms and wealth of natural resources, the beleaguered nation of Zimbabwe is now the most food-aid dependent country on the planet.

 

 

On top of election violence and a sweeping cholera epidemic which has claimed more than 4,000 lives, recent UN reports estimate that a staggering seven million people have been forced to rely on food aid to survive over the past twelve months.

 

 

Forecasts for early 2010 anticipate little or no improvement on these figures either, with the global credit crunch and acute seed and fertiliser shortages expected to result in the poorest families running out of food as early as the beginning of October.

 

Sharp rises in food prices may also leave many desperate Zimbabweans with little option but to eat the precious seeds they have stored for the next harvest.

In response to the humanitarian crisis, Christian Aid has just launched an urgent fund-raising appeal in advance of the next ‘hunger season’, which falls between December and March.

 

But rather than simply handing out one-off food parcels to deal with short-term hunger problems, the agency are providing farmers with the right seeds, fertilisers, tools and skills they need to help them break the cycle of dependency and move one step closer to becoming self-sufficient.

 

 “We must help people get back on their feet and help them grow more food,” explains William Anderson, Christian Aid’s country manager in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare.

 

“The money we receive will go towards providing seeds and tools to small-scale farmers, and emergency rations to the totally destitute.”

 

Christian Aid’s partner organisation, the Zimbabwe Project Trust (ZimPro), are pioneers in agricultural conservation farming methods designed to battle the frequent food shortages, especially in places where the soil is poor and clean water is scarce.

 

ZimPro has been running such a project for the last few seasons in the drought prone province of Matabeland South in southern Zimbabwe.

 

We caught up with some school children from the area to find out how working together with ZimPro and Christian Aid has affected their daily lives.

 

MSIZI MOYO, 9

“I remember the drought spell very well because there was hardly enough food, and my family was really suffering,” reveals nine-year-old Msizi Moyo.

 

“We used to eat twice a day, but during the drought we would only have one portion of thin porridge because we were trying to save what we little food we had left.

 

“We’d go to school on empty stomachs and sometimes go for two whole days without food, so I used to get really hungry although I’d try to keep going,” he adds.

 

Fortunately ZimPro came to visit the Moyo family for the first time last year and provided them seeds, fertiliser and basic training in conservation farming methods.

 

“We learnt about planting in straight lines, even for groundnuts, and how to get better yields, so now we grow sweet reeds, pumpkins, and melons, and life is much better,” Msizi explains.

 

 “School is seven kilometres away but it’s important to go because if you pass you get nice things like rice at home!” he smiles.

 

“After school I help with the weeding and prepare food for the dog, but when I’ve finished I like to play near the maize field with my friends.

 

PATRICIA MOYO, 14

“I once had to drop out of school because my parents could not pay my school fees and any money we had was used to take care of my sister who gets seriously ill because of HIV,” says 14-year-old Patricia Moyo.

 

“But after learning farming skills and techniques from ZimPro, I was able to return to school after we harvested and sold some of the crops.

 

“Life is better now because we can afford three meals a day and can manage to go school as long as there are still enough crops we can sell,” she adds.

 

SAMANTHA NCUBE, 9

“I remember the drought period – we were hungry,” says nine-year-old Samantha Ncube.

 

“We’ve known ZimPro since October last year and since then we have learnt a new way of growing crops called conservation farming which helps us to have a better life.

  

“We were given seeds of groundnuts, cowpea, maize and sorghum, and we also grow okra, round nuts and tomatoes.

 

“I like eating rice and chicken most, but we only get to eat that on Christmas day!” she laughs.

 

“Luckily I’ve been able to stay in school because I’d like to be a nurse, and my Mum has recently been able to buy all the exercise books I need,” she continues.

“We use text books from school as we don’t have our own, and I’ve got a uniform dress shoes and socks but no jumper.

 

 “We children help a lot with the farming, especially after school and weekends, and I also fetch firewood and water, sweep the kitchen, fold blankets and wash dishes.”

 

by Emma Pomfret, Christian Aid

 

To find out more about Christian Aid’s international development work and the Zimbabwe appeal please click here