Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies - 20 August 2002
Grethe Ostern in Livingstone, Zambia
Evelina's ribbed chest and swollen stomach are clear signs of malnutrition. The food crisis in southern Africa is seriously stretching extended families' capacity to absorb the needs of orphans. This is particularly evident here in Southern province of Zambia where the drought has caused rivers to dry up unseasonably early and crops to almost completely fail. Here, too, HIV is even more prevalent than in the rest of the country.
Since their mother died and their father left home, Evelina and Loveness have been staying with their grandmother in Sinde, in the bush outside of Livingstone, the regional centre of Southern province. Their aunt, Irene Munchindu who is 55 years old, says it is horrible to see the girls wasting away, but that it is beyond her control.
"They can go for days without a proper meal. At least my own children have a father, who is trying his best to get money for food by selling timber. But we have many children, and we are not able to help my mother, Evelina or Loveness. We simply can't. Last year it was a bit better, because we managed to harvest some maize at least. But this year there was nothing. The sun had scorched everything."
Most days, Evelina and Loveness survive on wild nuts and fruit. "We go in the bush in the morning to look for nuts, and come back before dark with what we have collected," says Evelina. "If we find a mwitu (citrus fruit) that is ripe, we eat it right away."
When they return from the bush, Loveness toils with a heavy stone to try and break open the nut shells. Her mangled finger nails are witness to the lengths to which they must go for the smallest amount of food.
Whenever stretched resources allow, the Zambia Red Cross in Livingstone provides the girls with food, tiding them over for at least a few days. Mavis Mayo, Red Cross project officer, tells us that this is the third time in the last seven months that they have brought one kilogram of beans, one kilogram of dried fish and one kilogram of high energy protein supplements to each of the two sisters.
"Because of lack of funding, we receive food supplies only now and then. And what we get is too little, whilst at the same time we have more and more people in desperate need," says Mayo. "What we are able to give them is actually just a drop in the ocean. If we could have enough food supplies to give them their rations every two weeks, it would have a greater impact."
The International Federation has appealed for US$ 61.6 million to assist the most vulnerable in southern Africa.
"The food crisis is deepening every day. There is still time to avert it from evolving into a humanitarian disaster, but donors must respond now," says Rene Nancholas, International Federation regional food security coordinator.
"We need to make food available to the most vulnerable households urgently. Assisting vulnerable familles with food aid may be the only means of survival for the children."
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