Fighting Hunger in Zimbabwe
From January to March 2009, Dorcas supports 2,500 persons (500 households) with food through its local partner organisation, Victory Tabernacle in the city of Mutare in Eastern Zimbabwe. The food-insecure households receive corn meal, beans, soya mince, oil and dried fish.
Women, children under 5 years of age, elderly, disabled, orphans and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH/A) are given special attention. These groups are particularly vulnerable due to the prolonged drought in the Eastern, Southern and Western regions of Zimbabwe.
According to the estimations of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Zimbabwe has only 17% of the maize seed needed for this season and 2.6% of the fertilizer needed. The recent wheat harvests covered only 10% of the country's requirements.
Today, an estimated 5 million people are in need of emergency food aid in Zimbabwe.
A multi-factored crisis
Some 20 years ago, Zimbabwe was considered an African success story and dubbed the "breadbasket" of southern Africa. Today, the country has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world. A large part of the population depends on food aid to survive. By November 2008, inflation in Zimbabwe stood at 231 million % while the unemployment rate reached 90%. .
Please return soon to read a human interest story from this project - directly from one of the beneficiaries in Mutare!
I want to do something to assist the people in Zimbabwe! But what?
-> pray for the people of Zimbabwe! -> pray for the work Dorcas and its partners are doing in helping the victims -> give a gift of love -> tell your family and friends about Dorcas and its work
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