Grandmother-headed
households: Elisabeth
Mtembo did not harvest much this year. She is standing next to her
storage place which is empty. The rainy season is only three weeks
away, but the sky is clear blue, the heat is immense and she has no
seeds and fertilizer at all. At 80+ she is the head of a family of
nine. Her husband and five children have all passed away - some of
them from AIDS related diseases. She is now entirely dependent on
food aid - along with more than half of the population of Zimbabwe.
64-years
old Headman Alfred Gazela displays what he and his family have left
to to live from over the next few days. His wife traveled 25 km to
Bulawayo looking for maize. Gazela only harvested 200 kg maize from
his fields - it lasted only three months. He says that he has nine
months to go 'til the next harvest.
Staff
from ACT member Christian Care is checking records at a food distribution
point in Muzarabani district in northern Zimbabwe.
Staff
from ACT member Christian Care is monitoring food rations being measured
out at a food distribution point in Muzarabani district in northern
Zimbabwe. The beneficiaries themselves participate in the distribution.
The maize is yellow unlike the local white variety. The monthly ration
is 69 kg per household plus 3 kg nutritious porridge flour for the
under-fives.
The
urban population in Zimbabwe is facing a severe shortage of basic
commodities - maize is the most wanted. Here people of Bulawayo are
queuing up for mealie meal (maize). The urban population have been
used to be able to buy maize during previous drought seasons - but
this time the stocks are low.
Since
January, the price of maize has shot up from $90.00US per tonne to
$250US per tonne, when due to a lack of local maize, the staple food
had to be imported, mainly from South Africa. The higher price is
the result of transport costs and customs and duties paid.
Photos and captions: Peter Høvring
(Dan Church Aid)
Please
credit all photos used as: Peter Høvring
(Dan Church Aid) /ACT International
