Save the Children's response to suspension of aid in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is facing a major humanitarian crisis, and the suspension of aid will have appalling consequences for the country's poorest and most vulnerable children
Monday 9 June 2008
Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children, said, "Zimbabwe is facing a major humanitarian crisis, and the suspension of aid will have appalling consequences for the country's poorest and most vulnerable children. Millions of people in Zimbabwe rely on the life-saving assistance of Save the Children and other aid organisations.
Without this lifeline, levels of malnutrition and disease will increase, and children could die as a result. More children will also be forced to drop out of school. We must be allowed to get back to delivering aid as soon as possible."
Rise in malnutrition
Whitbread said, "We estimate that in areas we are working, many families' food supplies will start to run out next month. To help protect thousands of Zimbabwe's poorest children from rising rates of malnutrition, the next delivery of food aid, such as maize, grain and cooking oil, should take place in August. However because of the political impasse, the necessary preparation for this delivery has not been made.
Aid agencies have been unable to gather essential information about the numbers and location of people requiring food aid for this coming year. This means thousands of families, who will need food aid to survive until the next March harvest, could be excluded. If they do not receive food aid, some of Zimbabwe's poorest children could starve."
Whitbread continued, "Due to restrictions over the last two months, Save the Children alone has been unable to support 16,000 families in planting winter vegetables over the last two months - vegetables that are essential for food and income. Last year four million people in Zimbabwe were in need of food aid to survive, but because the recent harvest was so poor, this year the number is likely to be much higher. Some children we are working with are already trying to survive on one small meal a day, together with bitter wild fruit that they mix with ash to soften the taste."
Rise in disease
The aid suspension will also have catastrophic implications for the health of Zimbabwe's poorest communities. With agencies like Save the Children unable to deliver health care, clean water and basic sanitation supplies, such as soap, children are at increased risk of dying from diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and cholera.
Whitbread said, "Zimbabwe already has the lowest life expectancy in the world, with women only living on average to the age of 34 and one in ten children dying before their fifth birthday. This suspension means that HIV sufferers, both adults and children, will not receive anti-retroviral treatment. Save the Children has had to stop distributing kits to children caring for relatives with AIDS, which help prevent them contracting the disease themselves."
Family separation
Tens of thousands of children in Zimbabwe have been forced to drop out of school, because they have no clothes, uniforms or school books, or are trying to find work to get food and money for their families. In addition, many children are now being separated from their families as they flee violence in rural areas, making them vulnerable to abuse.
Ends
Notes to Editors
- For further information and interviews please contact the Save the Children Press Office on +44 20 7012 6841, or out of hours contact the on-call press officer on +44 7831 650 409
- Save the Children has been working in Zimbabwe for nearly 25 years. Our work includes providing food aid, livelihoods assistance, supporting children in schools and helping children look after relatives suffering from HIV and AIDS.
- Save the Children is the world's independent children's charity. We're outraged that millions of children are still denied proper healthcare, food, education and protection. We're working flat out to get every child their rights and we're determined to make further, faster changes. How many? How fast? It's up to you. For further information about our work please visit What we do
