Millions across the globe face chronic malnutrition and disease fueled by spiking food prices. World Vision is working tirelessly to assist the most vulnerable.

October 2008

By Collins Kaumba, World Vision Zambia, and Jessie Lester, World Vision U.S.

At 72 years old, Esther Malungo should be able to slow down and let others take care of her. She shouldn't have to worry about basic survival. Yet in Zambia's food-deficient Sinazongwe district, where Esther lives, reality has placed her in a situation she could have never imagined.

It's a reality shaped by droughts, flooding, and HIV and AIDS. Her husband died in 2004, and last year, she lost her three grown children to AIDS. Esther found herself alone, trying to provide for her three young grandchildren in a region already suffering from the effects of drought. Then, during the 2007-2008 farming season, the floods came. Sinazongwe was one of Zambia's hardest-hit districts.

Hit hard by floods

Farmers in this rocky, mountainous region have been struggling to grow sufficient food for several years. In a country where 67 percent of the population lives below the national poverty line, residents of Sinazongwe were feeling the effects of the global food crisis long before the floods came and destroyed more than 40 percent of their crops.

"I have never seen the kind of floods we experienced last farming season. The floods simply destroyed homes, washed away crops, and most animals died," said Phinias Kapipilingwe, a Sinazongwe farmer.

Phinias has benefited from agricultural training provided by World Vision's area development program, which opened in Sinazongwe in 1998. Yet because of the floods, the crops Phinias was depending on are gone.

With their basic resources greatly depleted, residents of Sinazongwe can only watch as the prices of staple foods, such as mealie-meal, a ground maize grain, increase. In Sinazongwe, the same amount of mealie-meal that once cost $8.80 U.S. now costs $14.10 U.S.

Surviving on sour fruits

Unable to purchase or harvest food, many in Sinazongwe are relying on wild fruits and roots for survival. "For now, I just need food, otherwise my grandchildren may die," says Esther. For several months, Esther and her grandchildren have been living off busika, a sour-tasting fruit that dissolves in ash and water to make an energy-providing drink.

Esther cannot pick the busika herself, as she is too old and weak to walk through the bushes or climb the thorny trees where the fruit is found. Instead, she spends her mornings picking reeds that she can sell in order to purchase busika. Esther and the children have the sour drink made from this fruit for two meals each day.

Increased health concerns

While busika and other raw, bitter fruits and roots provide energy, relying on these as one's only source of nourishment presents serious health concerns. Sinazongwe community members have said that the roots and fruits are causing severe stomach pains and diarrhea, especially among the children, who are in danger of malnourishment. A reported 34 percent of children living in Zambia's flood-affected districts are suffering from stunted development.

Esther knows that the lives of her grandchildren are at risk, but she feels powerless to help. "I simply have nowhere to run to…where do I go and what should I do for these children to survive?" wonders a worried Esther.

Her neighbors echo her cries of concern. Many children have dropped out of school to search for food. Others have turned to early marriages or prostitution, raising fears that the prevalence of HIV and AIDS will increase.

In Zambia, 14.3 percent of the population is said to be HIV-positive. Proper nutrition is vital to the health and survival of those living with HIV and AIDS; as the food crisis worsens in Zambia, these individuals are unable to purchase sufficient food for survival.

World Vision's response

World Vision responded immediately to the flooding in Zambia, approving an emergency budget of $202,443 to go toward aid and relief in districts such as Sinazongwe. In March and April, we distributed nearly 50,000 pounds of food to 392 families in Sinazongwe. Relief kits including pots, spoons, soap and collapsible containers were also distributed to these families, benefiting more than 2,000 individuals.

Still, the need continues for families all around the world as the global food crisis expands. Sinazongwe is just one desperate story among countless others in the midst of a international emergency caused by a variety of factors, yet yielding the same tragic consequences over and over again. World Vision is working to provide relief and long-term solutions, including food aid, to regions hit hardest. But more help is needed.

On this World Food Day, please join us in prayer and support for children and families across the globe who face poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease, and even starvation simply because they don't have access to proper nutrition.