Chronicle Editor
Flora Fadzai Sibanda,
Nearly 600,000 children in Zimbabwe are at risk of experiencing life-wasting, a form of malnutrition due to severe child food poverty that has been worsened by the El Niño-induced drought, UNICEF has said.
In a statement, UNICEF revealed that approximately 181 million children under five years of age – one in five children – in the world are facing severe food poverty.
Out of these statistics, 580,000 children are from Zimbabwe, and if the situation persists, they are at risk of developing severe malnutrition.
Dr Nicholas Alipui, UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe, expressed concern that thousands of Zimbabwean children, especially those aged between six months and two years – the most vulnerable, poorest, and marginalized – lack access to the minimum nutritious foods required for their growth and development.
“Food insecurity among Zimbabwean children could worsen in 2024 due to the El Niño-induced drought, resulting in above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall, along with a ‘historic’ mid-season dry spell during the 2023/2024 agricultural season,” he warned.
Dr Alipui stated that UNICEF is collaborating with multiple partners, including the Government, to implement various nutritional activities under the Multi-Sectoral Food and Nutrition Security Strategy. The goal is to enhance the diversity of children’s diets and prevent all forms of malnutrition.
He urged additional partners to step forward and contribute to protecting children from this prevailing malnutrition crisis.
Online Reporter