“We have no food in our area.” This was the report of a church leader in the impoverished Christian-majority region of Matabeleland, Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is suffering greatly from food shortages. Droughts have led to failed harvests. Global insecurity has diminished the country’s ability to import wheat. Food prices in July 2022 are 309% higher than they were in July 2021.
This situation is not unique to Zimbabwe. The entire Earth is facing a crisis of food shortages and rising prices. Millions face malnutrition or even starvation.
Christians in Zimbabwe are among the millions worldwide facing food shortages, malnutrition and even starvation
This global food crisis has been developing for some years, but is now being reported on and analyzed more frequently by mainstream news outlets – alongside increased discussion and debate about who or what is to blame.
We know that food insecurity is driven by, among other things, armed conflict, extreme weather events and disease.
Yet if conflict is the cause, which side should take the blame? If environmental disasters are responsible, why are these happening? If disease, are the problems caused by the virus itself or the government response? What should we believe?
These are all legitimate questions – but at the same time completely irrelevant to those facing desperate hunger around the world, many of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ.
“We have no food.” This plain statement of fact is the cry for help of Christians the world over. And the words of our Lord Jesus Christ serve as a reminder of how we should respond: “You give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16).
To find out how you can help give our hungry brothers and sisters something to eat, please visit http://food.gives
