Food distributions by Tearfund partners helped families at the peak of the crisis
Harvests in southern Africa have been improving since 2005.
And the work of our church-based partner organisations is helping families get back on their feet – putting them in a stronger position to cope with future droughts.
Food aid
Erratic rainfall led to failed harvests across the region in 2005, leaving some 11 million people in need.
Our partners distributed life-saving food aid, as well as seeds and tools so farmers would be able to grow their own food for the next harvest.
Long-term presence
There’s a cyclical pattern of drought in southern Africa. Families sold off all their assets during the drought in 2002 in order to buy food. This meant that, when harvests failed again in 2005, they had nothing to fall back on. Soaring levels of HIV, International Monetary Fund pricing policies and poverty compounded the crisis.
A Tearfund staff member says, ‘The impact of HIV and changing weather patterns mean there is no quick fix to the problems facing this region. But because most of our partners are local churches they are constantly with communities – putting them in a good position to implement projects over the long-term.’
Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe of course, President Mugabe’s bad governance is crippling the country. There’s a drought in the south and maize prices are rising. This is a crisis in a country where unemployment stands at 80 per cent and inflation has passed 3000 per cent.
But God is at work. The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance is risking arrest and intimidation to stand up for justice and our partners are doing all they can to get food and care to those in desperate need.
Thank you
None of this work would be possible without your prayers and generosity in donating to Tearfund's southern Africa appeal. Thank you for your support.
Click on the links below to find out more about our work in southern Africa.