Bleak Christmas for Zimbabwe

A boy displays the new Zimbabwe currency introduced into circulation in Harare, August 1, 2008 [REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo, courtesy www.alertnet.org]

Sickness, hunger, starvation and death - an assessment by Caritas Zimbabwe with support from CAFOD shows there is now very little to distinguish between the most vulnerable and everyone else in the country

Such is the universality of need that the decision to work across all eight dioceses, both rural and urban, has been taken for the first time - previously only four received CAFOD assistance.

The survey identifies the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable, and Cornelius Hamadziripi, director of CAFOD partner Caritas Zimbabwe, describes the situation as "bleak".

He says this is a "deep, rapid, entangled humanitarian crisis. People are faced with an intricate web of problems. It is a bleak Christmas for Zimbabweans".

Brink of hunger

The survey, carried out in October, revealed 70-90 per cent of households interviewed are on the brink of hunger.

In every diocese there were households going for days surviving only on wild fruits, roots and in some cases eating insects.

Vulnerable households, headed by the elderly, widowed, children, and those caring for people living with HIV and AIDS, describe themselves as "barely managing".

Cornelius notes: "Communities, for the first time, have run out of coping mechanisms, they have reached breaking point. People now show signs of exhaustion, desperation and utter despair, they have lost all hope."

"Society is polarised between those who have access to hard currency - such as US dollars or the South African Rand - to buy food, and those who do not."

To date the Catholic Church has been better placed to reach vulnerable people in communities with life-saving food parcels.

As part of the Church, Caritas Zimbabwe plans to deliver emergency food aid to some people through households, but they will also target and support institutions such as mission hospitals and the education system to keep staff at work and patients and pupils fed.

Cornelius explains: "Zimbabwe’s health system is in intensive care. From village to national hospitals, patients find that healthcare is not working.

"Hospitals are ghost towns with nurses and doctors no longer turning up for work, because their salaries do not cover transport costs and they can’t afford to buy basic foods. People are now relying on mission hospitals for their medical and healthcare needs.

"We plan to support these hospitals by providing food for patients and food hampers for medical staff, as an incentive to keep them coming into work, instead of searching for food or alternative employment."

The school system is in a similar state of collapse, with pupils not able to learn because of the absence of teachers.

Caritas Zimbabwe hopes to provide feeding clubs for pupils, and food hampers for teaching and non-teaching staff.

With a cholera crisis looming, the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) warns the disease will be more difficult to contain as it spreads from urban to rural areas.

Part of Caritas Zimbabwe’s work in communities involves repairing water pumps, digging wells and the promotion of hygiene through public education programmes.

Cornelius says: "We hope to get the programme up and running in January. We know that we can’t reach everyone, but we also cannot sit quietly and let people endure this suffering."

Media: To arrange an interview with Cornelius Hamadziripi (who is in London for a short visit), or for further info please contact: Nana Anto-Awuakye on: 020 7095-5560, 07799 477 541 or email nantoawuakye@cafod.org.uk

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