(TotalConservative.com) – A drought induced by the El Nino weather phenomenon is causing an urgent need for humanitarian aid in Zimbabwe, a country in southern Africa with roughly 15 million people. Nearly 8 million residents are dependent on growing their own food to survive and could face starvation conditions if the U.N. doesn’t immediately intervene with aid.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued a desperate plea to the wider body and international philanthropists to raise $430 million to purchase emergency rations and equipment to help the country cope with the drought.
U.N. coordinator Edward Matthew Kallon lives and works in the country to report on the need for humanitarian aid. He highlighted that 3.1 million residents are severely impacted by the lack of food and water. Kallon added that the lack of water is also harming livestock and working animal populations.
Southern African nations have been universally harmed by extreme weather. While some countries were coping with droughts, others had severe flooding. Zimbabwe was particularly hit with drought, resulting in its corn production dropping 70% for the 2023-24 season. The country needs 2.2 million tons to meet its domestic needs and only produced 700,000 tons over the past year, according to local data.
The U.N. request would additionally seek funding for the installation of solar-powered boreholes to facilitate additional sources of clean drinking water for the population and its livestock.
Over 60% of Zimbabweans live in rural areas where clean water sometimes requires long walks. Children often are sent on the task and as the economic conditions in the country degrade, more children will be forced out of schools and into working to support themselves and their families. Many families don’t actually earn income beyond occasionally selling their excess farmed goods, so if they don’t grow what they need they’re unable to afford food.
Children under 5 and women with infants are the most desperate populations; both groups are heavily impacted by a lack of nutrients and clean water. Kallon also highlighted an outbreak of cholera in the country, which is also a consequence of severe drought.
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