Zimbabwe Food Crisis Continues as New Aid Efforts Reach Urban PoorCatholic Relief Services With World Food Day drawing attention to the plight of the hungry worldwide, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is stepping up food assistance efforts in Zimbabwe's increasingly vulnerable urban areas, as the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to exacerbate a national food crisis. While other parts of southern Africa gripped by hunger last year have seen improvements in immediate food security, Zimbabwe—where more than half of the country's 11.3 million people require food aid—remains in crisis, according to a recent study by the Consortium for Southern Africa Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE).  "Poverty, weather, governance and HIV/AIDS have all combined to create the regional crisis," said Paul Macek, CRS Southern Africa Regional Emergency Representative. "But while Zambia and Malawi, fragile as they remain, have seen the worst pass, Zimbabwe remains a country in serious crisis." Through the United States-funded Market Assistance Pilot Program, implemented by CRS under C-SAFE, the urban poor and hungry receive subsidized sorghum meal at a quarter of the normal prices. While food aid is widely distributed in Zimbabwe's rural areas, less assistance has been provided in worsening urban areas. The market assistance program was recently launched in Zimbabwe's second largest city, Bulawayo, and will run for an initial period of six months. It is seen as another important step in addressing a two-year-old food crisis in a country also suffering from rampant HIV/AIDS infections and political turmoil. In assessing the crisis, the recent C-SAFE study noted in particular how poverty, health and hunger are interrelated in exacerbating the situation. The study found that in Zimbabwe, which has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world, more than 35 percent of households surveyed hosted on average more than two orphans. "Addressing the Zimbabwe crisis requires continued, immediate interventions to ensure people have enough to eat and can survive in conjunction with recovery and rehabilitation efforts," said Lutful Gofur, Zimbabwe Emergency Coordinator for CRS. "Through this combined approach we'll have a sustained commitment to addressing chronic problems. In particular, CRS is committed to long-term HIV/AIDS programming in Zimbabwe, efforts that will continue long after the immediate threats of the current food shortages have past." Other CRS programs in Zimbabwe include hospital-based feedings for 100,000 chronically ill people; general distributions of food to 35,000 individuals; and a British government-supported effort to provide 50,000 poor rural households with agricultural support such as seeds, fertilizers and agricultural extensions services during this year's critical planting season. C-SAFE was formed in late 2002 to respond to the impending hunger that threatened millions of people in Southern Africa. It represents the first time that the three largest American food aid NGOs—CRS, CARE and World Vision—have worked together on a regional basis and in such a sizable scale to address both acute food needs and the underlying causes of food insecurity. To contribute to CRS efforts, send donations to:
For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org |
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