WFP Expands Emergency Operation As Hunger Is Expected To "Get Worse" In Drought Stricken Zimbabwe

The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it will be expanding its emergency operation in Zimbabwe at a time when projections suggest that the country is to be ridden by in 2020.

This was revealed by WFP officials who said that they intend to have more than doubled the number of people they are currently helping by January to 4.1 million. WFP Executive Director David Beasley said:

We’re deep into a vicious cycle of sky-rocketing malnutrition that’s hitting women and children hardest and will be tough to break.

With poor rains forecast yet again in the run-up to the main harvest in April, the scale of hunger in the country is going to get worse before it gets better.

The organisation is providing life-saving rations of cereal, pulses and vegetable oil and a protective nutrition ration for children under 5 years of age.

Zimbabwe is facing huge starvation due to El Nino induced drought and Cyclone Idai which destroyed crops when they were a few weeks away from harvest.

The situation is further worsened by the socio-economic crisis in the country which is characterised by inflation, electricity shortages, fuel shortages, cash and foreign currency shortages.

More: The Zimbabwe Mail