Fertiliser and seeds are being provided by Tearfund partners to help Zimbabweans feed themselves. Picture: Karyn Beattie/Tearfund
It says a lot about how grim life is in Zimbabwe now when a bucket of fertiliser and a bag of seeds are regarded as a lifesaver.
A country once seen as the bread basket of Africa is now more of a basket case when it comes to feeding itself.
Crops for the next harvest in May are in the ground but predictions for their success are dire and aid agencies are warning that more than 5 million people will need food aid to stay alive come the new year.
Catherine Bragg, deputy emergency relief coordinator in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said, `The situation is acute and is expected to worsen towards the end of the year, and probably get even worse in the beginning of next year.’
Tearfund is providing training and new tools to farmers hit by political violence. Picture: Karyn Beattie/Tearfund
Factors behind this grim scenario include three years of failed harvests, bad governance and hyperinflation.
The country’s economic malaise means fertiliser is out of reach for most farmers and there’s also a shortage of seeds.
Tearfund partners are providing both in the hope of securing crops and food for people next year.
Hoe training. Picture: Karyn Beattie/Tearfund
Staff are also giving people tools, such as hoes, and training in farming methods to make the best of the difficult circumstances.
These pictures show farmers who had been victims of violence in the post-election political unrest receiving help.
These people come from opposing political parties but stood together happily as they learnt about improved farming methods.
Tearfund’s Karyn Beattie, who has recently returned from Zimbabwe, said, `They all lost assets so without the help from the local church, they wouldn’t have been able to plant any crops this season. And the value of the unity that is restored by holding training workshops can’t be emphasised enough.’
To compound Zimbabwe’s woes, the country is in the grip of a serious cholera outbreak that has so far claimed about 300 lives. Unofficial reports say this figure could be closer to 3,000.
Deteriorating sanitation, lack of clean water and a crumbling health system are to blame, with the UN estimating about 11,000 people have the acute intestinal infection.
Streets have turned into open sewers as the sanitation infrastructure has broken down. Picture: Mandy Marshall/Tearfund
Other signs of decline are evident. Many areas suffer power cuts every day, phone and email communication is haphazard and health clinics lack medicines.