The Salvation Army provides emergency food aid in Zimbabwe

07 February 2008

A young girl in front of her new home at the Agricultural Rural Development Authority farm

IN the low-lying Zambezi valley district of Zimbabwe, The Salvation Army is responding to flood-affected households through its local emergency services teams, which responded immediately. Relentless rains have caused floods in the northern Zambezi valley, known as Muzarabani, killing a reported 27 people and leaving thousands homeless.

Heavy downpours are common in southern Africa during the annual rainy season, which runs from November to April, but this year's relentless downpours have resulted in swollen rivers and estuaries in several southern African countries. Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi have all suffered from flooding which began in mid-December. In Zimbabwe, floods have devastated livestock and crops – especially the staple crop, maize. The result is heightened fears of food shortages in a country that has failed to feed itself since 2000.

The Salvation Army is responding by providing food aid for the next three months to more than 150 flood-affected families currently staying at an Agricultural Rural Development Authority Farm (ARDA) in the Muzarabani region. The people of ARDA have lost everything and have been relocated to avoid the predicted second wave of flooding.

Ribetia Mutoro, 65, from Mvundura Village in Muzarabani, explains: 'I don't want to go back to my old village, I can’t go back. I am an old woman but my children and grandchildren are still young and I want to prepare a better future for them without the threat of these floods. All my food and crops were washed away so I have no chance of harvesting anything and nothing to go back to even if I wanted to. I would just face the same problems and dangers all over again.'

Salvation Army team members next to a bridge that was destroyed by the floods

With more heavy rains predicted this month, Zimbabwe faces the threat of renewed flooding. This will put added strain on the communities living within the flood zone along with renewed pressure on the country's ailing economy and food shortages.

Major Cedric Hills, The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services Coordinator, says: 'This food aid response is vital in ensuring that life is sustained during this devastating emergency. We are essentially buying time for this community to restart planting crops so that in three months' time they can begin to harvest what they have grown and once again become self-sufficient.'

The Salvation Army in Zimbabwe continues to build relationships with the affected communities and is providing important pastoral care and support to people who have lost everything.

Donations in support of this flood response programme can be made online to the 'Africa Disaster Fund'.