A man carries a sack of maize donated by WFP photo Ronald Magweta
An ox-drawn cart grinds to a halt as Tapiwa Maredza, 17 and his two friends hastily jump out to join dozen others waiting for food handouts at Nyamhondoro primary school, in Mudzi west of the capital Harare.
This could probably be the last time-this year-when Maredza will have an opportunity to receive food aid after the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it would end its lean season assistance in this drought-stricken region, this March.
In harshed tones, chatter goes around as villagers plot how to survive after their crops were washed away by heavy rains.
They are not expecting much from their farms this year.
Their crestfallen faces tell a story of desperation.
Maredza, who has come to help his 70-year-old grandmother with carrying bags of maize, cooking oil and beans, is among dozens of school going children who have skipped classes to secure food.
The food will last them another two months, after which they are expected to feed themselves at the start of the harvesting.
But their fields tell a different story-that of protracted hunger-which could force Maredza to come back to these grounds for more food aid again later this year.
Despite working hard on the vast sand crust, not much is expected this season after heavy rains flooded the maize crop.
Their only hope is sorghum and other varieties, which grow easily in arid regions like Mudzi.
Although farmers were encouraged to grow small grains, like millet, it is not enough to feed hungry families here.
Besides, small grain varieties have not found many takers as a preferred choice of food and as an alternative to maize.
As volunteers call out names of beneficiaries, Maud Masekesa, 43 a mother of three joins the growing queue forming past an automated machine where each villager will have to log in their details.
This machine is armed with details of beneficiaries and the amounts of food they are going to receive.
Done to enhance transparency at the distribution point, the automated machines also help account for the food being distributed.
“It is sad that this could be the last time we are going to get food aid before harvesting. We would like the programme to continue, up until we can feed ourselves from the fields. As things stand, this will take a long while,” a teary Masekesa, who also cares for a disabled relative said.
Women, like Masekesa have borne the brunt of feeding their families during tough times.
Her husband, although making ends meet through selling wares at a local market has not been making enough for their growing family.
“We are both struggling to survive. Life is expensive nowadays, even for us who live in the rural areas. Things are tough for everyone,” Masekesa said.
Although they are grateful to donors flocking with food handouts to Mudzi, including UN agencies like WFP and World Vision, they fear a day could be coming when they will not able to feed their families.
Emilia Mutengwa, 40 says although government programmes like Pfumvudza improved prospects for farming in the drought prone area, farmers here are not expected much yield due to heavy rains.
“We were beneficiaries of the Pfumvudza programme but the heavy rains that came in January really affected our crops. We may not get enough to last us the whole season hence we ask the donors to continue for two or more months until we can harvest,” pleaded Mutengwa.
WFP is feeding 700 000 Zimbabweans during the peak of the hunger period, which starts in October, ending in March.
The UN agency says it had already escalated food aid across the country, dampening hopes for an extension of the drought relief amid hopes that farmers will get enough to eat.
“This is the scale up that you see. We started a bit lower in October and in November and December we went up. From January to March, this is peak of what we are able to deliver during this lean season. 702 000 is the peak. We have to mobilize our resources ahead of time so with contribution from UsAid and complementary contributions from the governments of Germany and Japan,we have to decide that before October how much do we need,” WFP country director, Francesca Erdelman told reporters during a tour of Mudzi.
Asked if WFP will scale up food aid, she said,”For us it is not so easy, to half way through the season to say let’s go bigger.”
While some farmers have been battling flooding in their fields, others have different problems.
Maud Madamombe, 48 says her crops have succumbed to the ravaging army worm.
At a government food distribution programmer in Mutoko district, a volunteer calls out names of beneficiaries as they queue to receive 10kg of maize.
That is all and the villagers are not happy.
Government has been giving food aid to communities who were affected by drought but the villagers say it is not enough.
“This 10kg is not enough. When I get it like this, I will have to share with my neighbors who do not have. I cannot eat alone, yet they are hungry. We are surviving on pumpkins, there is nothing at home. We are pleading with government to increase the food rations,” Loice Mavezha, 60 said.
Public Service Minister Paul Mavima who was also present at the food distribution told villagers that they should not rely on food handouts.
“I also envisage a future where you will tell donors not to come back because you have enough to eat,” he said as villagers grumbled in miffed tones.
After receiving a bag of maize, Maredza heads home with a smile, with his grandmother sitting uncomfortably in the ox-drawn cart.
It could take days-maybe weeks-before the family plunges again into hunger.
But this time, they only have their field to look to.
Nyasha ChIngono
