“As I speak right now, we are a little over two weeks into our 21-day lockdown, and I can tell you right now most people are on their last meal.”
In Zimbabwe, lockdown doesn’t just mean isolation. It means starvation.
When we last spoke to our Zimbabwean partner, the country was almost done with its lockdown. Then, it was extended again … meaning several more weeks without an income and without enough food for thousands of families.
Your gift today will help rescue a family struggling to survive during this pandemic. You will help provide aid like food, masks, and hygiene kits. And because of a matching gift, every dollar you give will DOUBLE to help 2X as many people.
A nation already in trouble economically, Zimbabwe now has an unemployment rate of more than 80 percent due to job losses during the coronavirus.
“The lockdown has affected people who are self-employed or informally employed,” our partner explained. “That’s your vendors … people who are involved in engaging, buying and selling, and depend on people being in the streets moving around so they can see their goods and they can sell, and they can get an income for their livelihood.”
Now that everyone has been told to stay home and shelter in place, most of the country is out of work. Big retailers have been allowed to reopen, but many markets and individual shops — places where the majority of the population works — remain shuttered.
While you and I can probably afford to go to the grocery store and buy enough food to last us at least a couple of weeks, people in Zimbabwe can’t.
“People do not have much savings in Zimbabwe,” our partner said. “The culture of savings does not exist because we live on nominal income — an average of $1 to $1.50 a day. So, people cannot afford to buy enough food to last them 30 days.”
Generous people have already donated food to help families in Zimbabwe struggling to survive. But those food bags were designed to last a family a month. And since quarantine began, a month has already come and gone. They desperately need food again.
That’s where you come in. You can help provide essentials like emergency food, hygiene items, clean water, medicine, and more for people suffering during the coronavirus.
And because World Help Board members have committed to match your gift up to $235,000, every $8 you give will DOUBLE to provide lifesaving help for TWO people.
Families in countries like Zimbabwe need your help now more than ever.
“Most people probably only have two or three days left of food provisions in their homes,” our partner said. “And the biggest fear, the biggest concern is ‘How will I be able to provide for my family now since I haven’t generated any income for the last two to three weeks?’”
Today, you can help make sure people don’t have to go to bed hungry or be afraid of what tomorrow will hold.
Not only will your gifts provide aid like nutritious meals, but your contribution will also help World Help erase the budget shortfall caused by fundraising events being canceled due to COVID-19. That means you will play a vital role in making sure people in Zimbabwe and beyond continue to receive the help they need, especially during this time of global pandemic when their needs are even greater.
Parents are desperate to feed their families. It could be weeks or months before they get back on their feet. You can help now, though.
Your generosity can make all the difference and help save lives.
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