WESTPORT, Conn. (Dec. 2, 2008) — With a deepening food emergency threatening the lives and well-being of millions of Zimbabweans, Save the Children is moving rapidly to reach vulnerable children, expanding existing nutrition, food and other programs in the country.

The situation for children in Zimbabwe, where nearly one-third of children are malnourished, is deteriorating. Nearly half of the country's population — about 5 million people — will be in need of food aid to survive by the end of the year, according to the United Nations. Save the Children is currently providing food assistance to 200,000 people and enabling families to prepare for the future by distributing seed, small livestock and helping to set up vegetable gardens. Learn more about our response.

One in 10 children in Zimbabwe dies before the age of 5. Save the Children warns that with rocketing rates of malnutrition and disease, the child mortality rate could rise. In addition, many Zimbabwean children lack access to basic education, health care and daily essentials for survival.

A boy rests in a cholera ward of Budiriro Polyclinic in Harare, Zimbabwe. Dec. 1, 2008.  REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo. Courtesy alertnet.org

"Save the Children is moving quickly to reach as many vulnerable children as possible and will be ramping up current programs in health, food and nutrition, education, protection, livelihoods and water and sanitation," said Ned Olney, Save the Children's vice president for humanitarian response. "Zimbabwe's children are facing an increasingly dire future, and we must do all we can to help them through this humanitarian emergency."

Scarce Food Resources, Lack of Basic Services

Nearly half of Zimbabwe's population does not have the resources to buy food and other essentials, and food sources are becoming scarce. Basic services and the health care system have collapsed, and the country is now experiencing a growing cholera problem, with more than 7,000 cases reported.

Save the Children has worked in Zimbabwe for nearly 25 years. The organization's 200-strong team in Zimbabwe is helping to provide drugs to treat cholera and educating communities about avoiding infection, as well as providing food so that safe cholera treatment camps can be set up to prevent further contamination.

Compounding the risks to children is a recent outbreak of anthrax in the country's northern Zambezi Valley. The disease has killed two children and one adult, and is threatening the region's livestock, which will further limit parents' ability to provide healthy food for their children.

Save the Children needs your support to help us meet the most critical needs of children and families who have been affected by the food shortages and the spread of disease in Zimbabwe. Your donation will help us provide clean water, improved sanitation, food distribution and other necessities.

Donate now to support Save the Children's immediate and long-term response for the children and families in Zimbabwe. 

Save the Children (www.savethechildren.org) is the leading independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 27 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 100 countries.