Zimbabwe faces an extreme international emergency. Over 5 million people – half the country’s population – are reliant on international aid.

Deaths from hunger have been reported and Caritas has been told of 200 school children fainting due to a lack of food.

A Caritas nationwide survey found 9 in 10 houses in some areas going without enough food.

Prospects for the next harvest are bleak and the situation will deteriorate over the coming months unless action is taken.

A Cholera outbreak over the last five months has killed over 1,700 people with 36,000 cases reported.

The country’s crumbling infrastructure means there is no effective health care, only a fifth of children go to school, the water system is breaking down forcing people to drink unclean water, the economy and farming has collapsed.




Caritas in Action

Caritas and the Catholic Church are one of the only functioning institutions left in the country, and their work at the community level means that they can reach the most vulnerable with food, medicine, and clean water.

Caritas is appealing for $7 million to help a quarter of a million people avoid starvation, provide health care, and clean water to 16,000 homes.

The appeal will provide monthly food rations for 164,212 people to prevent them suffering from malnutrition and death.

Children die the quickest from hunger. Caritas will provide 88,841 children at school with a daily midday meal.

4,607 homes will receive training in farming to improve their own ability to grow crops.

Health centres will be given supplementary feeding along with essential drugs. Caritas will provide basic health care for 5000 people.

Our staff will rehabilitate water points, build toilets, distribute aqua tablets and promote education on Cholera prevention to provide 16,000 homes with clean water.