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Zimbabwe was once the “breadbasket” of Africa; a country that produced so much food, it was used by the United Nations as a source of food relief in the region. But today, it is in the grip of longterm poverty and starvation caused by massive infl ation and the destruction of the country’s agricultural sector. Zimbabwe has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world and Christian leaders and congregations have been among the many victims of President Mugabe’s brutal oppression.
Barnabas Aid is supporting Christians in Zimbabwe in a number of ways; by providing food parcels to alleviate the hunger and starvation among the Christians; by supplying seeds and training local people how to farm their land in a more productive way, based on principles of Christian discipleship; and by providing equipment, uniforms for staff and funding for maintenance at a care home for elderly people.
The feeding project provides parcels of rice, beans, salt, sugar, flour and other necessities to thousands of Zimbabwean Christians per month. Despite rising prices, the cost of a monthly food parcel is only £15 (US$24) per family. With an average of 10 people in an extended family, this means the cost is only 5p per person per day. The agricultural training project then assists people who used to receive food parcels to move on to becoming self-sufficient.
