Tsholotsho villagers have appealed for urgent food aid after most of their food crops succumbed to a long dry spell experienced in the country.
Gladys Sibanda of Dlamini line said their situation has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 lockdown as they are no longer receiving food parcels from their relatives based in neighbouring countries.
“We are appealing for food aid; we didn’t harvest much this year because of poor rainfall,” Sibanda told CITE.
“Our children used to send us food from South Africa and Botswana but due to Coronavirus there is no food coming in.”
Thunukele Dlamini said they now rely on the Social Welfare Department but it is struggling to cater for every homestead.
She added that child-headed families are the worst affected.
“There are also child headed families, those children are now suffering as there is no one to assist them. It difficult for us to assist them as we are in the same predicament,” Dlamini lamented.
“It was better when schools were open, school going children used to get meals through the school’s feeding program.”
The Distict Coordinator Gladys Zizhou said currently they do not have any stock for drought relief programs.
“Currently we do not have any stock at the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depot,” she said.
The World Food Programme (WFP) in January revealed that climate change induced dry spells affected people both in urban and rural areas with indications that more people are set to seek drought relief aid this year.
Its also estimated that at least 7,7 million people in Zimbabwe are in need of urgent food aid following insignificant rains received this year.
