AEGiS-IFRC: Zimbabwe food crisis: Red Cross supplementary feeding centre in Mwenezi

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Zimbabwe food crisis: Red Cross supplementary feeding centre in Mwenezi

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - September 10, 2008

-- This is the first in a series of six profiles, looking at the people affected by Zimbabwe's food crisis.

-- The Red Cross provides supplementary feeding to about 220 kids everyday in Mwenezi, in the rural Masvingo province of Zimbabwe. Each of these kids have either a parent living with HIV, or now live in child headed households. The project is having a massive impact in terms of nutrition and in terms of weight gained by the children. For many of them, the food they receive at the centre is all that they have.

The first thing that strikes you is their patience. More than 200 children, sitting quietly, waiting for the Red Cross volunteers to serve them lunch. Imagine this scene in another country - in Europe or the US for example. It would be pandemonium; kids jostling to be served first, the younger ones crying as they are pushed aside by the older ones.

But here, in Mwenezi in Zimbabwe's Masvingo Province, they are sitting so quietly. Truly amazing behaviour from any large group of children, but particularly extraordinary given these kids live in an area that sits at the heart of the country's food crisis.

Every weekday morning, these children arrive at the Red Cross centre to have breakfast, lunch and to play under the supervision of the local volunteers. All of these kids come from homes that are covered by the Red Cross' home-based care programme - an outreach initiative that sees volunteers visit people living with HIV and AIDS.

Some of the children come from child-headed households. All are under five years of age. For many of them, the meals that they receive here are the only meaningful and regular ones that they get.

This project is having a real impact. Every couple of weeks, the Ministry of Health, will survey a sample of these children, measuring their weight and checking for illnesses. These surveys have revealed significant improvements in the health and nutritional status of these children.

This isn't complicated stuff. The Red Cross is providing nutritious food to a group of very vulnerable children. This is what we do. This is what we want to do more.

The IFRC Zimbabwe food security appeal aims to provide assistance to about 260,100 people over the coming nine months. The programme will focus on supporting people like the Mwenezi kids - a group particularly and acutely vulnerable to food shortages.

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