Thabse:
In late November Sarah Jacobs, Save the Children Media Manager, Africa, met Thabse. Here is her story
Thabse’s story
Thabse’s husband died from TB, leaving the family with no money. She has four children and is ill herself. They have little food or resources. Sometimes she exchanges vegetables for maize but can be bedridden with illness. When she’s sick, her elder two daughters look after the household and the younger two children. She feels it’s risky for her children to go and exchange vegetables for maize, as they may get abused. She worries that if she gets any more ill, her children will have no one to feed them – but she hopes that she and her children will get healthier once they’ve got some food.
“My husband was ill a long time with TB, and when he died in July he didn’t leave us any money. I’m sick. I feel weak and suffer from headaches, but I’m not receiving any medication. We have no livestock, just a small garden where I keep chickens and grow onions and tomatoes. Sometimes I exchange vegetables for maize but when I’m too sick and bedridden, I can’t go to sell the vegetables. It’s risky for my young children to go: they might get abused. When I’m sick, my two elder daughters look after the two younger ones. If there’s something to eat then they cook, if not then there’s nothing. Sometimes they eat wild fruits if there aren’t any cereals, but some of the fruits can make you sick if they aren’t prepared properly. When there isn’t anything to eat, the children just have to sit or lie down.
“I worry about the future. Children die often here and if I’m sick my children will have no one to feed them. But hope makes me happy. After getting food I will get healthier and so have some energy to go work in the field,which is less than an hour’s walk away. The children will also get stronger and be able to help me in the field. If they get food, they’ll be able to play again; they’ll be more like children.”
Interview conducted by Sarah Jacobs, during a media assignment to Zimbabwe in November, 2008
The current situation in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has now officially moved from a chronic emergency to an acute emergency. The UN agencies have moved into emergency response mode and their development programmes are being adapted for emergency response where possible. Half the Zimbabwean population is in need of food aid but resources are insufficient, with the World Food Programme currently $140 Million under budget. One-third of all children are chronically malnourished, with concerns that acute malnutrition is rising, and 10 million people (out of a population of 13 million) live below the poverty line. Both the education and health systems have completely collapsed with very few children and teachers going to school and all the major hospitals in Harare closing most of their services. The 1,700 clinics across the country have not been working properly for years and the recent cholera outbreak (which is endemic in Zimbabwe and occurs annually) is now beyond the means of the Ministry of Health to respond to.
The crisis is destroying lives. In 1990, life expectancy was 60 years. Three years ago, life expectancy for women was 37. Today, it stands at 34 – the lowest in the world. Zimbabwe’s also facing one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world, even though the rate at which it’s spreading has fallen recently. Still, one in five adults (aged 15-49) is living with HIV and AIDS and over a million children have lost one or both parents to the disease.
The World Food Programme hasn’t collated its November figures for Zimbabwe yet but the total number of people receiving food aid, delivered last month, is approximately 2.5–3 Million. World Food Programme food aid rations – and the numbers receiving them – have been further reduced. The maximum household size is now capped at six beneficiaries, potentially leaving out some members of the household. This means that instead of reaching 4.2 million people in December they’ll only reach 3.7 million. It also means larger families won’t have sufficient rations.
The ration size per person, per month has been reduced to 10kg of cereals, 1kg of pulses, 1kg fortified Corn Soy Blend (when available) and 0.46kg Vegetable oil (from 0.6kg).
Save the Children provides support
Save the Children plans to reach at least 142,487 beneficiaries in three districts with food aid. However, we believe there are still another 41,000 people in need of food aid now. So far, approximately 123,382 people have been reached through the food distributions, approximately half of which are children. In addition, 47,999 children are receiving supplementary feeding up to 25 December.
More information
Find out more about Save the Children's response to the crisis in Zimbabwe