Z imbabwe declared a state of disaster on 3 April 2024, due to a drought which has caused severe levels of food insecurity.
The El Niño weather phenomenon has brought pre-existing years of drought and food insecurity to critical levels. It has meant that 80% of the country has had below-average rainfall, which in turn has caused near-total crop failure and weakened livestock. For a country where approximately 70% of the population are subsistence farmers, this has been devastating.
People have been forced to use unsafe water and are now experiencing a cholera outbreak. The cost of food is skyrocketing, heightening the existing food insecurity: 2.7 million people are experiencing food shortages this year. Thousands have already died.
This Christian-majority country has been greatly suffering, but through God’s grace we have been able to help them.
Throughout the years of drought in Zimbabwe, we have used the donations from our supporters to send nutritious porridge-mix ePap to our suffering brothers and sisters. Our most recent food aid shipment also sent lentils, which are a source of protein, to assist in this current crisis.
Our generous food.gives supporters donated enough to fill a 20ft container with approximately 23.5 tonnes of lentils. The container was shipped from Australia to South Africa and arrived in Zimbabwe by March 2024.
The lentils were then distributed to over 11,600 hungry Christians, providing 470,000 servings. In a country where 80% of people consume protein only once per week, these donations have been life-changing.
The importance of donations such as these was highlighted at the distribution point. The labourers, who helped our project partners distribute the lentils, were struggling to work as none of them had eaten before starting their shift. Our partners, once they discovered this, gave the labourers a healthy lunch each day. This increased the labourers’ energy, so they could continue their work.
Our partners wrote to inform us that all the recipients of the lentils were “overjoyed to receive this vital source of nutrition”.
They commented that the food.gives shipment “has been nothing short of life-saving, providing much-needed nutrition, especially protein, to communities facing a devastating drought… Your generous donation of lentils has provided a critical lifeline to the people of Matabeleland, Bulawayo and Harare during this time of immense hardship.”
Want to get involved?
It is only thanks to our generous supporters that we can continue feeding hungry Christians around the world. If you would like to join the food.gives family and make a difference by providing food for suffering believers, visit www.food.gives
Project reference: PR1555 (food.gives)
