We Need to Stay Healthy, But We Also Need Food
In Zimbabwe, USAID balances the pressures of hunger and staying safe from COVID-19
It was a typical warm April day in Zimbabwe, the perfect kind of day to go out and visit with neighbors. However, this April was not typical. Like many other countries, officials had imposed a strict lockdown and restricted movement to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
People could no longer gather in groups of more than 50, and they could no longer shake hands. This severely impacted people who make their living from informal trade and labor opportunities since markets and businesses were not able to operate as they would regularly. Schools were closed, and they may remain closed well after the lockdown. In Zimbabwe, leading indicators suggest that COVID-19 cases are likely to increase, especially in rural areas.
The deteriorating food security situation
Rebecca Kapaira lives with her five children in Shamva, which is located in central Zimbabwe, one of the rural areas hardest hit by the current drought. She and her children are aware of the COVID-19 pandemic and are staying home.
“The teachers told us we had to go home from school because of coronavirus,” seven-year-old Kudzwai explains to her mom, referencing her handy science textbook. “They also told us not to touch our eyes, nose, or mouth.”
Rebecca says that the coronavirus has come at a time when the drought was already affecting her family. Now life for them is even more difficult. “A combination of this pandemic and hunger is a double blow for me. We need to stay healthy, but we also need food,” she said.
Rebecca is a farmer, and like most Zimbabweans, she depends on just one, increasingly unreliable rainy season each year. Because of the late onset of rains this growing season, this year’s harvest will not only be late — in June instead of April — but is expected to be very poor.
“For the past two years we have not harvested anything,” says Rebecca, standing in her garden of sun-scorched maize. “Our community hasn’t been able to predict the rainfall patterns. Our timing seems wrong and the crops never mature enough to make it to harvest. There is nowhere to get food. As the only breadwinner, I end up with nothing to give the children. I usually skip meals so they can eat.”
Life is becoming harder each day for Rebecca and her family. Zimbabwe has one of the highest inflation rates in the world. Hyperinflation has eroded her purchasing power and sent food prices soaring. The family is spending significantly more on food, while eating less both in quantity and quality than last year. “Prices are always changing and I cannot keep up with them,” she says. “I cannot buy the basics because prices change each day. Our economy is so unstable it becomes difficult for us to survive.”
Keeping staff and food recipients safe
As the COVID-19 pandemic has made putting food on the table even more challenging for millions of Zimbabweans, USAID and its partner, the World Food Program (WFP), quickly modified food distribution practices to keep staff and food assistance recipients safe.
“We could not afford to take a break because millions of Zimbabweans depend on us to provide much needed food assistance. We were determined to ensure the delivery of critical food does not stop,” said Eddie Rowe, the WFP country representative.
By the end of May 2020, USAID-supported food distributions were active in 22 districts, reaching 1.8 million food insecure Zimbabweans.
“USAID provided $86.9 million towards humanitarian food assistance that will go a long way in ensuring that people do not go to sleep without food. I am proud that we and our partners are balancing the pressures of addressing food insecurity and staying safe from COVID-19 at the same time,” said USAID Mission Director Stephanie Funk. “Our partners are reaching vulnerable people with food assistance, while reinforcing social distancing and hand washing at distribution sites. In just two weeks, USAID provided food to more than 930,000 vulnerable Zimbabweans, even during the lockdown.”
Leading humanitarian response in Zimbabwe
In addition to installing handwashing facilities and reinforcing social distancing, USAID and WFP established more distribution sites, with fewer people at each site. WFP is also using food distributions to provide important COVID-19 awareness messages to populations that are often harder to reach.
“Last month before the pandemic hit, we would gather in large groups, depending on how big your family is to collect and share the food,” Rebecca explains. Now Rebecca and many other Zimbabweans receiving food assistance have received awareness messages and are sharing knowledge about COVID-19 and are now practicing social distancing, and washing their hands often. “We are now social distancing and are not standing close to each other at distribution sites.”
USAID will continue to play a leading humanitarian role in Zimbabwe, helping millions of Zimbabweans through difficult situations like COVID-19, drought, and fighting other life-threatening diseases such as HIV, TB, and malaria. The United States has pledged an additional $18 million to help scale up COVID-19 testing, treatment, and prevention activities.
Back at home with a box that has maize meal, peas, vegetable oil, and fortified super cereal that will last her family a month, Rebecca’s children gather around as she serves a porridge of maize meal by the fire. “As a mother I always want my children to have the best life they can,” she says. “I want to see all five of them go to school with books, uniforms, and shoes. For now, our only hope is the food we are receiving.”
By the Numbers: Since 1980, the U.S. Government has provided over $1.2 billion in health assistance to strengthen health systems, so that Zimbabweans can live longer, healthier lives, and over $491 million in emergency humanitarian assistance since 2010.
About the Authors
Claire Neville is the Communications Officer for the World Food Program (WFP) in Zimbabwe. Tatenda Macheka is the Communications Specialist for the WFP in Zimbabwe. Doreen Hove is the Development Outreach and Communications Specialist for USAID’s Mission in Zimbabwe
