In Drought-Hit Zimbabwe, Children Feel the Pain of Hunger
By
Refugees International | June 30, 2016
Zimbabwe is currently suffering its worst drought in 35 years, aggravated by the effects of El Niño which is gripping the entire region. Two consecutive years of poor rains and crop failures, compounded by a severe economic crisis, have left more than a third of the country’s rural communities without sufficient food. Children, especially those living in remote areas, are bearing the brunt. Malnutrition rates are the highest in 15 years with 33,000 children in urgent need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition. In the hardest-hit areas like Matabelaland North, children often go to school hungry and are increasingly having trouble focusing. Drop-out rates are increasing as more children are being pulled from school in order to help find food, fetch increasingly scarce water, or engage in labor. Meanwhile, a government-led school feeding program supported for the youngest grades is struggling to get off the ground due to lack of funds and organizational capacity.
Across the country, corn fields like this one lay dry and withered, leaving many poor farmers with vastly reduced food stocks to feed their families until the next harvest season, which is not until March 2017. Zimbabwe’s lean season – which usually starts in October – is expected to start far earlier this year.A teacher and his students at a school in Binga District in Matabeleland North, one of the poorest and driest regions of the country. Many children here go to school on empty stomachs and are noticeably unable to concentrate.The economic impacts of the drought and failed harvests on poor families mean that few parents have the money to buy shoes for their children, let alone uniforms. More and more families are in arrears on their school fees, meaning schools like this one have no money for urgently needed repairs. A gift from a private benefactor to this school in Hwange District has provided funding not only for improved facilities but also a community garden which grows food for school lunches. In this photo, parents of school children volunteer to help tend the garden, which is the only reliable source of food for many families. But such school garden programs are a rarity. A mother waits in line at a UN World Food Program food distribution site in Binga District. This was the last day of the monthly food distributions, leaving many parents wondering where their children’s next meal will come from.School children in Binga District, Matabelaland North, Zimbabwe.
