Highlights

• Partners continue efforts to boost food security despite funding shortages.
• Zimbabwe’s House of Assembly ratifies the Kampala Convention.
• Waterborne diseases persist on an upward trend.
• Spike in the number of Third Country Nationals assisted in May.
• Zimbabwe launches Food and Nutrition Security policy.

by Taurai Shava

GWERU — The City of Gweru in Zimbabwe's Midlands province faces a critical water shortage as the city’s main water source, Gwenoro Dam, is running dry.

Gweru’s Deputy Mayor Taurai Demo told Studio 7 the city’s main supply of raw water, is now just seven per cent full.

Mr. Demo said as a result of the critically low water levels, council will have to decommission the dam soon.

The local authority currently pumps 45,000 mega-liters of water per day, which is just below half of the city’s daily requirement.

Twenty-one million children in school thanks to efforts

NEW YORK, 17 June 2013 – UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Peter Krämer Foundation today kicked off a new fundraising drive to raise US$80 million to help Africa’s girls, orphans, children living in extreme poverty and other vulnerable children go to school and get a quality education.

HIGHLIGHTS

Mozambique:

Since the beginning of a cholera outbreak in Mozambique in early January 2013, a total of 1,861 cases and 19 deaths have been recorded nationally as at 31 May 2013 (CFR=1%). The outbreak is considered over all provinces except Niassa, although zero cases have been reported there during the past few weeks.

Madagascar:

By Busani Bafana

NKAYI, Zimbabwe, Jun 14 2013 (IPS) - For the past five years, farmer Melusi Mhlanga has spent nearly 200 dollars each season for inputs, but the maize yields have not matched his investment.

“With good rains I have been able to get more than 20 bags from my two hectare field but now I barely manage 10 bags,” says Mhlanga, who spoke to IPS at his homestead where he has diversified into livestock breeding.

The Government of Japan provided emergency relief goods consisting of tents and blankets worth 12 million yen ( approximately USD 120,000) to the Republic of Zimbabwe, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In response to a request following the hailstorm which occurred from the 1st week to 3rd week of April, the goods were distributed with the co-operation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Zimbabwe office and the Department of Civil Protection in the Ministry of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development.

Almost a billion people go hungry every day and 165 million children under five suffer from malnutrition – a startling fact when you consider there is enough food in the world to feed everyone.

In the lead up to the G8 summit, where eight of the world’s leaders will be discussing how to tackle hunger on a global scale, I have been looking at the British Red Cross’ response to this complex issue. Last week I focused on the link between HIV and hunger in Lesotho. This week I am looking at how communities are working together to overcome food insecurity in Zimbabwe.

Link: Southern Africa Humanitarian Bulletin: Issue 11, June 2013

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