Imvelo’s School Lunch Programme update - April 2020 - Your extra change can feed vulnerable children in drought-stricken communities in Zimbabwe .

In and around Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, the drought, compounded by continued economic hardship, is threatening Hwange’s livelihoods and wildlife. Covid-19 has stalled tourism across the world, and funds to support people and animals in this area are now limited. Imvelo Safari Lodges is persevering with its efforts to feed vulnerable children and encourage the continuity of education through its school lunch programme.

The drought, which is in its second year, has caused widespread crop failure and poor yields for the local subsistence farmers living along the park’s southern boundary. They are also starting to lose valuable livestock to starvation and thirst. These isolated communities are therefore dangerously food insecure. These same communities are bearing the brunt of human wildlife conflicts and are on the frontlines in the fight against poaching.

Imvelo’s school lunch programme aims to provide at least 3000 children with school lunches from 12 different schools during the two school terms occurring during the dry months of May to December. This allows children to have the energy to walk to school, to concentrate when in class, to learn more effectively, and to ensure attendance at school and the continuity of education. The more funds available, the more children and schools can be targeted, and the bigger the impact.

Last year Imvelo fed 2660 kids every school day for two terms, around 500,000 lunches; some received mahewu (a highly nutritional drink made from millet meal) and others received beans and sadza, a staple of the local diet. Lunch options often depends on available food supplies, logistics and what funds are available.

A mahewu lunch costs around 4p, while a sadza and beans lunch costs about 10p. Costs fluctuate quite dramatically, especially given the exorbitant inflation rate and the exchange rate, so are difficult to calculate but needless to say, the cost of your weekly cup of coffee could provide a child with a school lunch for at least 3 weeks!

Zimbabwe is, like the rest of the world, addressing the covid-19 pandemic and has been in lockdown since 31 March. Imvelo is working hard to ensure food is available to kick-off the school lunch programme on 5 May, when they hope their schools will reopen for 2ndterm!

Here is a link to some further information about Imvelo and how they support the communities and wildlife . A small amount can make a big difference and all funds go directly to providing the food; Imvelo provides all the logistics for free. I am collecting money here and will then send it to Imvelo as a bulk sum to save bank charges in due course.