Zimbabwe crisis

A humanitarian crisis

Ordinary Zimbabweans are desperately short of food, health care, clean water and safe sanitation. Oxfam has been supporting more than 1 million people affected by the cholera and hunger crises.

Hyperinflation, the impact of HIV and AIDS, and the decline of commercial farm production, have all led to a widespread lack of food and other essential items across Zimbabwe.

• More than 4,000 people have died from Zimbabwe's worst-ever cholera epidemic
• An estimated 7 million people were dependent on food aid in March 2009

In pictures: Zimbabwe cholera and hunger crisis

Despite the creation of the new Government of National Unity, Zimbabwe is still facing a humanitarian crisis of massive proportions. Hospitals are dangerously short of medicines and there is a serious lack of healthcare workers. Food shortages remain, and the water and sanitation systems are in desperate need of renovation.

The country is struggling to raise funds to rebuild its economy and the fragile unity government is still facing teething problems, including issues around drafting a new constitution for the country. This means that it will take some time for the new government to have enough resources to address the infrastructure and health system challenges.

Oxfam's emergency response is providing support to more than 1 million people.

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• Food shortages – Oxfam's response

Hunger crisis

With hyperinflation, poor harvests and food shortages all taking their toll, the World Food Programme estimates that 7 million Zimbabweans were reliant on food aid in March 2009.

On film: Food shortages

Oxfam's response

Oxfam has been working with the World Food Programme to distribute food aid to those in need.

Between October 2008 and March 2009 we distributed food rations to 253,000 people in Kwekwe, Shurugwi and Chirumanzu districts in Midlands province. Another 15,000 families in urban areas received food aid through the Joint Initiative programme, a consortium of NGOs in Zimbabwe, of which Oxfam is a member.

In pictures: Zimbabwe food aid

We've also been helping set up nutritional gardens that can provide communities with vegetables and have been distributing fertiliser and seeds to help improve people's ability to cope with food shortages.

A total of 27,000 households in five districts of Midlands and Masvingo provinces have received drought resistant sorghum seeds and fertiliser. Recent assessments in these areas have shown that sorghum has done much better than the traditionally preferred maize seeds.

In some areas where nutritional gardens are being promoted, communities are now able to produce more than enough food to feed their families, and have begun selling the surplus to supplement their incomes.

In the longer term we are planning to focus on projects to help people be better prepared for, and able to cope with, poor harvests and drought. This will include working on small irrigation schemes and helping ensure farmers are able to guard against future poor harvests.

You can help: Donate to Oxfam's work in Zimbabwe