'Desperate' doesn’t do justice to how bad things were for 74-year-old Margaret.
Rewind three months in Zimbabwe’s food crisis and you would have found the grandmother, in her own words, facing death.
A few months ago, Margaret and her family were eating melons to stay alive. Photo: Marcus Perkins / Tearfund
Margaret resides about 50 miles south of Bulawayo and like many others was left with a precarious hold on life when the rains didn’t fall, crops failed and plates became empty.
She wasn’t alone facing the danger of starvation – she cares for four grandchildren left fatherless when her two sons died from AIDS-related illnesses. Their mothers, in desperation, fled to South Africa.
Appeal
When Tearfund launched its appeal for Zimbabwe last year, we highlighted Margaret’s plight.
Tearfund partners have been able to feed thousands of Zimbabweans like Margaret thanks to the generosity of people’s response.
Margaret and her grandaughter with their food for a month. Photo: Tearfund
‘Thank you very much to everyone who has helped us. We thank God too,’ said Margaret, who is confident that with the food her grandchildren will remain healthy.
Tearfund partners are feeding about 35,000 people over the next six months.
Cooking oil, maize meal, beans and vitamin-enriched cereal are being supplied to keep families going.
Pastors and volunteers who know the people with the greatest need for food are carrying out the distribution.
Most needy
Tearfund’s Karyn Beattie spoke of this 'insider' approach that local church partners are able to offer, ‘This means that the food is not given to people based on their political affiliation but on the level of need.’
But hunger is still touching millions in Zimbabwe – about a third of the 12 million population are struggling to feed themselves.
A combination of ineffective government and bad harvests has hit food supplies hard.
Karyn said, `There is no maize meal, the staple food, in shops – there’s been none for over two months in Bulawayo. There isn’t even any on the black market.’
Margaret and her husband take their food home. Photo: Tearfund
Crop damage
In the last few months, unusually heavy rains have brought widespread flooding which in turn has affected this year’s crops.
There are now real fears for the forthcoming harvest in the next two months.
Access to food and combating malnutrition will remain a priority for Tearfund and our partners for a long time to come.
Please click here to support our work.