UK Releasing US$5.4M For Food-Insecure Zimbabweans

The United Kingdom (UK) is set to release £4 million, approximately US$5.4 million, to help assist thousands of food-insecure Zimbabweans.

The UK is releasing an extra £47 million of aid to immediately provide food, nutrition, water and shelter for vulnerable families in nine countries and regions including across the Sahel, Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Mozambique. The UK embassy in Zimbabwe revealed in a statement:

Zimbabwe will receive £4 million (US$5.4 million) to help support 110,000 food insecure people living in 8 urban areas.

These highly vulnerable people, a large percentage of which includes elderly, people with disabilities and child-headed households have been severely impacted by Covid-19 and the support, implemented by the UN’s World Food Programme, will come in the form of monthly cash transfers or electronic vouchers worth 12 USD per person which can be redeemed in supermarkets.

The funding is announced when the United Nations has reported that the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic worsened the humanitarian crisis across the world.

Zimbabwe’s Development Director for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Cate Turton said Zimbabwe is facing a humanitarian crisis which has been compounded by a deteriorating economy and the COVID-19 pandemic. Turton said:

This extra UK aid support will mean people can feed their families and prevent the crises from escalating. We hope to see other donors step up to the plate with some extra funding to support the people of Zimbabwe through this difficult time.

Statistics suggest that nearly half of Zimbabwe’s population is facing severe starvation which is attributed to hyperinflation, the fallout from COVID-19 and drought in recent years.