THE World Food Programme (WFP) says it will soon be rolling out a programme to feed villagers facing starvation in Zimbabwe’s drought-hit areas like Masvingo, Matabeleland North and South.Report by Sheryleen Masuku, Own Correspondent
The United Nations agency said it would provide funding for cereals to be purchased from the local market.
WFP and other local civil society organisations have termed the current food-insecurity shortages in the country “a crisis” and the partners “were set to introduce food assistance programmes in the country following growing concerns of severe food shortages in some parts of the country”.
“The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee estimates that over 1,6 million people will be food-insecure between January and March 2013, the peak hunger months in Zimbabwe,” the agency said in a statement.
“This is a 60% increase from the one million people who needed assistance at the beginning of this year. WFP and partners are planning to scale up operations to ensure vulnerable households have enough food to sustain themselves until the next harvest.”
The WFP said its partners had begun the much-needed food assistance programmes in Masvingo and the Zambezi Valley. According to the WFP statement, the organisation said it would need in excess of $69,5 million to complete food assistance programmes in the country.
