The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Thursday that nearly three million people, including two million children, will be in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in Zimbabwe, due to the impact of the crises. food and nutrition induced by natural hazards such as drought, floods and epidemics, reports the UN website.
The UN body estimates that the humanitarian context in Zimbabwe is « fragile », stressing that a total of 1.5 million people, including 1.1 million children, will need health services, fight against HIV and nutrition to save their lives.
In terms of food, up to 3.8 million people could find themselves in a situation of food insecurity, warns UNICEF, which reports that cereal insecurity reached 38% in 2022 against 27% in 2021.
Average household income has fallen from $75 per month in 2021 to $57 in 2022. As a result, about 22% of households are using stress, crisis, or emergency coping strategies, compared to 17% in 2021”, according to the UN body dedicated to children.
For UNICEF, the population is generally « chronically confronted with natural hazards (including floods and drought) which are exacerbated by climate change and economic instability ».
The UN agency intends to intensify, in the face of a bleak picture, its support for multi-sector life-saving services and efforts to contain the measles epidemic, and informs that « social and behavioral change, responsibility towards populations affected, gender equality, gender-based violence risk mitigation and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse will be integrated into all interventions”.
The Fund says it needs more than $47 million to meet humanitarian needs in 2023. The humanitarian response plan targets, among others, the sectors of health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as social protection, he says.
By OMA Newsletter N° 1008 of 13/01/2023
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
