Zambia: hunger affects more than a million children, warns an NGO
Zambia has been seriously lacking rain for more than two months. An effect of the El Niño weather phenomenon, worsened by climate change. The drought devastated half of the crops.
WFP food distribution, in Simumbwe, Zambia (illustrative image). AFP - GUILLEM SARTORIO
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Today, in
Zambia
, more than a million children are hungry, warns the NGO
Save The Children
, which has collected testimonies in the west of the country. According to Malama Mwila, regional policy and advocacy manager for this NGO in East and Southern Africa, who answers questions from
Lucile Gimberg
, “
this means that on a daily basis, they only eat one meal a day. And again, this meal can't really be called a meal!
»
“
Without food, they fall asleep
”
“
Some
,” continues Malama Mwila, “
spend hours, in the savannah or in the forest, looking for wild fruits to eat. Otherwise, they eat what we call
mashwa here.
It's a kind of aquatic root that they boil so that it's edible
. »
“
What we are seeing in the affected communities is that children are not able to go to school on an empty stomach. They can't concentrate. A mother told us that when she looks at her children, she has the impression that they are sick. But really they just need to eat. Without food, they fall asleep, it’s a natural mechanism when you are hungry
,” concludes this regional policy and advocacy manager for the
NGO
Save The Children.
Read alsoZambia: agriculture devastated by drought, the country calls for help
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