WFP says short of $180 million for Zimbabwe’s food relief program

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) on Wednesday said it is facing a funding gap of 180 million U.S. dollars for Zimbabwe’s humanitarian assistance program.

HARARE, ZIMBABWE – MAY 9: Zimbabweans receive food aid packages distributed by Turkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) within the aid works during Muslims’ holy fasting month of Ramadan in Harare, Zimbabwe on May 09, 2019. 1,000 families in need received food packages. (Photo by Mustafa Kamaci/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

WFP Zimbabwe representative and country director Francesca Erdelmann said this year has been particularly tough for the donor community due to the impact of COVID-19.

“For our portfolio in Zimbabwe between now and the next six months we are short by about 180 million U.S. dollars. These are not the amounts of money that are easy to mobilize and for most of our donors, it’s tough for them too.

“So we really have to try and make sure that we can reach our targets and deliver the support to the people but if we can’t, we are going to have to make some tough choices and target only the most vulnerable groups,” Erdelmann said.

According to WFP, projections indicate that by year-end, the number of food-insecure Zimbabweans would have surged by almost 50 percent to 8.6 million (or 60 percent of the population) owing to the combined effects of drought, economic recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic.