Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years, with around half the population in urgent need of food and water, the United Nations humanitarian agency said on Thursday, with 430 million yen to help those most in need. Started calling for dollars.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said about 7.6 million people out of the country’s 15 million people were in need of “life-saving and life-sustaining” humanitarian assistance. But the U.N. resident humanitarian coordinator, Edward Matthew Caron, said the U.N. is seeking funding from donors to help 3.1 million people in the worst-hit areas next year.
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Drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon has spread across much of southern Africa, leaving both people and animals in dire need of food and water. Zimbabwe, which relies on agriculture and was once a food exporter, is one of the countries hardest hit by drought.
The staple corn crop for the 2023-24 season is estimated to be around 700,000 tonnes, 70% less than last season. Government crop assessment figures show Zimbabwe needs 2.2 million tonnes a year to meet human and livestock demand.
The United Nations humanitarian agency on Thursday launched a $430 million appeal to avert a humanitarian disaster in drought-stricken Zimbabwe. (Maxim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The UN appeal says the aid ranges from food aid to cash transfers to the construction of solar-powered wells to provide drinking water to people and hungry livestock such as cows, which are an important source of food and labor. said.
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that causes parts of the Pacific Ocean to warm every two to seven years, and has a variety of effects on global weather. Southern Africa typically experiences below-average rainfall, but this year has been the worst drought in decades.
Southern Africa experienced its hottest days in decades in some areas and floods in others, destroying livelihoods in areas where many people rely on agriculture to survive.
More than 60% of Zimbabwe’s population lives in rural areas, increasing the amount of food they eat and sometimes selling what little surplus they have to cover expenses such as school fees. Since there are relatively few participants in the cash economy, many will not be able to buy food even if it is available in the market.
“Immediate action is needed to avoid the loss of lives and livelihoods over the coming months,” the 45-page appeal document reads in part.
The appeal documents say the drought has increased the risk of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, while children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women are more vulnerable.
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In Zimbabwe, a patriarchal country, children, especially girls, are often tasked with walking long distances in search of water, putting their safety at risk. The United Nations agency has announced that nearly 2 million children, both boys and girls, may be forced to drop out of school due to the drought.
Drought can also lead to unsafe hygiene conditions, such as lack of handwashing and drinking from contaminated wells, which can worsen cholera outbreaks.
