Aid organization for World Food Day | International Aid Organization, October 16, 2023

2023-10-16 04:24:46

Fighting hunger requires perseverance

Vienna/Ngorima (OTS) – Nomusa from Zimbabwe is a single mother of four children and goes to bed hungry every night. She is not alone: ​​In Zimbabwe alone, 8 million people are hungry. In the 2023 Global Hunger Index, it ranks 107th out of 125 countries. The consequences of the climate crisis, such as droughts and floods, are leading to an increasingly serious food situation. Targeted development cooperation achieves significant success in eliminating hunger, which is why the International Aid Organization is calling for an increase in state, bilateral funding for development cooperation.

Everyday hunger in Zimbabwe

Nomusa lives with her mother and four children in Ngorima in the Chimanimani district in eastern Zimbabwe. Her husband died of HIV two years ago. Since then, Nomusa has had to look after the six-person household alone. In times of drought like these, this is a particular challenge because there is almost no work. Breakfast is the only meal for their children: in the morning they are given a porridge made from ground corn flour, mixed so thinly with water that it only gives them enough energy for the day. Nomusa only eats when the four children have been fed the porridge. The consequences of hunger are fatal. The result is stunting and serious illnesses, which hit children particularly hard. It is also not possible to attend school, although school attendance is compulsory in Zimbabwe. As a temporary day laborer, Nomusa earns an average of $30 per month. School attendance would cost $20 per month for all four children. The children have to stay at home until the agricultural situation improves again and Nomusa can generate enough income from agriculture again.

Solutions to hunger

The International Relief Organization has been providing development cooperation with a focus on food security in Zimbabwe for 25 years. Since Zimbabwe is known for drought and crop failures, even apart from disasters like this one, the International Development Projects focus on special plants: those that can survive with very little water and under extremely unfriendly conditions. We have been supporting the cultivation, harvesting and marketing of drought-resistant plants since 1998. Baobab is one of the plants native to Zimbabwe. The powder made from its fruits is considered particularly nutritious. The aid organization supports Zimbabwean farmers in creating the infrastructure for processing and marketing baobab and other native plants such as wild saffron. In the spirit of helping people help themselves, local farmers are trained so that these plants can be harvested and sold by the local population in the long term. In addition to income opportunities for families, this leads to gradual food security and economic development for the entire region.

A drop in the ocean?

The current drought and the resulting hunger are bitter setbacks for the population. They show that the fight against hunger requires perseverance. While countless people – like Nomusa’s family – are waiting for help in Zimbabwe, development cooperation against hunger is not a drop in the ocean for many, but rather enables affected families to live in dignity. In recent years, the aid project in Zimbabwe has increased the average monthly income of almost 7,000 families from $30 to $101. One of the beneficiaries is Tendai. Tendai is a 64-year-old farmer who lives with his family of 9 in eastern Zimbabwe. Until now, its meager yields came from corn production, which, however, was too uncertain due to poor climatic conditions. Then Tendai became aware of the aid project. He underwent training to grow and market wild saffron. Today he cultivates a one-hectare field and produces 70 kilograms of wild saffron every season. Marketing is going well and he can feed himself and his family with his supplies even during the current drought. He was able to save his income from marketing to pay school fees and uniforms for his six school-age children. Nomusa and her family are still waiting for support. For so long they have to fight the fight against hunger every day.

Relief Organization International calls for bilateral support

Zimbabwe is just one of many examples of countries from the Global South that are in urgent need of bilateral investment. Improved funding for the Foreign Disaster Fund is an important step toward financing short-term emergency assistance and long-term food security programs. “In addition, additional funds are needed for development cooperation to promote sustainable agriculture“, appeals Stefan Fritz, Managing Director of Hilfewerk International and calls for additional bilateral funding to be decided. “Increasing bilateral funding will help ensure long-term and preventative support for people in countries in the Global South“Fritz concludes.

International Aid Organization

Hilfewerk International is an Austrian and global aid organization with headquarters in Vienna. It was founded in 1978 with the aim of carrying out emergency relief projects and sustainable development projects in Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia and Southeast Europe. With a total of more than 124 employees in 18 countries, projects in the areas of health, education, social affairs and agriculture are initiated in close cooperation with local teams and local civil society organizations. The focus is on structural poverty reduction by promoting economic and social development. The focus of the work of the Relief Organization International is on supporting the population groups most at risk of poverty and exclusion, such as women, children, older people and ethnic minorities.

The non-profit, non-partisan and non-denominational organization operates independently under the umbrella of the Austrian relief organization family. The projects are financed by national and international project funds for development cooperation and humanitarian aid as well as private donations, corporate social responsibility partnerships and sponsorship. For more information, see:

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