\\THE United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (Unicef) has appealed for US$70,9 million to meet Zimbabwe\u2019s increased humanitarian needs as hunger and a collapsing economy take a huge toll on the long-suffering citizenry.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian agencies estimate that millions face hunger, with the World Food Programme (WFP) on July 31, putting the figure of food insecure Zimbabweans at 8,6 million.<\/p>\n
According to the WFP, the desperate situation faced by many Zimbabweans is exacerbated by the combined effects of drought, economic recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
According to Unicef, as of July 31, about US$ 30,7 million, which is 30% of the total 2020 funding requirement has been received from various donors.<\/p>\n
The UN agency warned the country\u2019s humanitarian situation will have devastating effects particularly on children as reports of malnutrition are now being recorded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout a well-resourced response, the COVID-19 epidemic is projected to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities among children, with lasting negative impact on children\u2019s education and learning outcomes,\u201d Unicef noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe combined impact of drought and economic deterioration has thus worsened the dire situation of vulnerable children, placing them at a heightened risk of increased protection violations and negative coping strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n
In July, an analysis by the UN\u2019s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and WFP identified Zimbabwe as among 27 countries in the world facing COVID-19 induced famine.<\/p>\n
Other countries cited by the WFP and FAO include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Haiti, Venezuela, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, among others<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\\THE United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (Unicef) has appealed for US$70,9 million to meet Zimbabwe\u2019s increased humanitarian needs as hunger and a collapsing economy take a huge toll on the long-suffering citizenry. Humanitarian agencies estimate that millions face hunger, with the World Food Programme (WFP) on July 31, putting the figure of food insecure Zimbabweans at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":12223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[1388,360],"class_list":{"0":"post-26818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-community","9":"tag-covid-19","10":"tag-unicef"},"yoast_head":"\n