The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 it was facing a funding gap of $180 million for Zimbabwe’s humanitarian assistance programme.
WFP Zimbabwe Representative and Country Director, Francesca Erdelmann, said this year had 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.
“These are not the amounts of money that are easy to mobilise 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 per cent to 8.6 million (or 60 per cent of the population) owing to the combined effects of drought, economic recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
