In Zumbare, a rural village of thatched huts in eastern Zimbabwe, the rooftops shimmer under the heat. Riverbeds have run dry, and the surrounding fields are filled with the skeletal remains of maize stalks that failed to mature.<\/p>\n
\u2018There is nothing left to grow, and our boreholes have no water\u2019, says Sibongile Mupfukura, as she shelters under a large tree.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aid from CARE brings relief<\/p>\n
Along with other villagers, she is lining up to receive the monthly ration of beans, dried fish, cooking oil and other necessities distributed by CARE, one of the aid groups funded by the European Union here.<\/p>\n
\u2018Without this food, I don\u2019t know what we would do\u2019, Sibongile says.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
El Ni\u00f1o’s devastating impact<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe, like many parts of southern Africa, has been facing one of its worst droughts in decades during the 2024\u20132025 season, exacerbated by the El Ni\u00f1o climate phenomenon. Increased temperatures, unpredictable rains and extreme weather events have resulted in widespread food insecurity and acute malnutrition, affecting millions of people across the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As in most Zimbabwean villages, maize is a staple crop and a key source of food and income for the people of Zumbare. A bag of 50 kilos typically sells for (US) $15.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018That\u2019s usually enough to pay for a small amount of meat and school fees for our children\u2019, says Memory Mariramyika, another villager. \u2018But all our stocks are gone.\u2019<\/p>\n
Water scarcity is another daily struggle. Boreholes have either broken down or dried up due to excessive use, forcing families to spend significant time searching for water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018We have to walk for hours every day to fetch water from the river, Sibongile says. \u2018But we can never carry enough.\u2019<\/p>\n
Rising social tensions<\/p>\n
The drought has also led to increased social tension. Incidents of domestic and sexual violence, child marriages and crime have risen as families grapple with poverty and food shortages.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Together with her colleagues in Musasa, an EU-supported women\u2019s organisation, Tariro Chipepe helps survivors of violence by talking through their experiences or by referring them to hospitals and other specialised care.<\/p>\n
\u2018When there\u2019s a drought or other crisis, we see that families argue more and that levels of violence in the homes increase\u2019, she says. \u2018A hungry man is an angry man.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teaching alternative food sources<\/p>\n
To help alleviate some of the food shortages in the hardest-hit areas, the EU\u2019s partners Action Against Hunger (ACF) and Nutrition Action Zimbabwe have organised local community groups, tasked with training people in finding alternative food sources.<\/p>\n
\u2018We teach communities to grow and cook sorghum and millet, which is more drought-resistant\u2019, explains Edson Gumi-Mukanyi, a local farmer and one of the group\u2019s members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018There are also plenty of alternative foods to be found in the forest, such as fruit and roots. In addition, termites, crickets and other insects are a great source of protein.\u2019<\/p>\n
The drought has compounded an already fragile situation in Zimbabwe, which has long faced chronic poverty. A significant portion of the population lives below the poverty line, struggling to meet basic needs such as food, healthcare and education.<\/p>\n
\u2018While many of Zimbabwe\u2019s problems are chronic, the EU is focusing on mitigating the effects of natural shocks\u2019, said Silvya Bolliger, who oversees the EU\u2019s humanitarian programmes in Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
Although food distributions are lifesaving in times of crisis, the EU\u2019s long-term support includes preparing communities to fight epidemics, including cholera, and providing people with information, cash or shelter materials to better prepare for cyclones, floods and droughts.<\/p>\n
\u2018It will alleviate a lot of suffering.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Zumbare, a rural village of thatched huts in eastern Zimbabwe, the rooftops shimmer under the heat. Riverbeds…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5605,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[1491,3686,4261,106],"class_list":{"0":"post-5604","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-zimbabwe","8":"tag-drought","9":"tag-humanitarian-aid","10":"tag-natural-disaster","11":"tag-zimbabwe"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}