SCORES OF children have succumbed to malnutrition in Gwanda South, Matabeleland South province as food stocks start running out from last year’s harvests.
NQOBANI NDLOVU STAFF REPORTER
This has seen most children suffering from kwashiorkor admitted in hospitals and clinics in the province, as they have no food for consumption.
Health officials and villagers in Gwanda South on Friday pleaded with aid agencies to intervene, saying the situation would worsen if urgent measures are not taken.
Gwanda South received good rains after years of poor downfalls last year, but a combination of factors, like crop-eating locusts, left villagers facing hunger.
“The situation is so bad at some homes, especially in child- headed families and others headed by single mothers and old people who were depending on food aid.
“Some people are spending days without having a proper meal and the lucky ones are having one meal per day,” Andrew Mdlongwa, a village head in Hwali area, said.
Darlington Ndlovu from Halisupe area weighed in saying the food situation was bad among families who did not have good harvests due to varying reasons.
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“This area is a drought prone province, that is why in the past we had food aid agencies that were providing food to the hungry,” he said.
“However, after last year’s rains, most of the food agencies left, leaving some families, who were depending on food aid facing starvation, hence children are succumbing to malnutrition.’
Nurses at Manama Hospital in Gwanda South could not provide exact statistics on the number of children that had been affected by kwashiorkor this month alone, only saying they started recording the disease last month.
“This (malnutrition) is always a problem in Matabeleland South. However, the situation so far is better compared to previous years, as we started recording the first cases of malnutrition in October,” one nurse at Manama Hospital said on condition of anonymity.
“This is because we think that their (food reserves) are beginning to run out following last year’s harvest.
“We are managing the situation, though we see malnutrition cases increasing ahead of the next harvest season.”
Matabeleland South Provincial medical director William Busumani confirmed that malnutrition, a condition caused by lack of food and resulting from eating a diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, had hit the province, saying the Health and Child Care ministry is embarking on a programme to fight the disease.
“We have seen cases of malnutrition affecting children due to the shortage of food,” he said.
“But the Health and Child Care ministry nutrition department is working hard to eradicate such diseases.
“Community-based programmes are being put in place by the ministry to deal with malnutrition and other diseases caused by hunger.
“We have a lot of development partners that give support in terms of food supply.
“We also have a nutrition department in the ministry to look into cases of malnutrition.”
