This campaign has now closed
Following the heaviest rains in living memory, crops have been washed away, roads made impassable and bridges wrecked. We propose to provide emergency food relief for families whose livlihoods have been devastated and who otherwise face starvation.
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Beneficiaries
Situation
Below is the verbatim report of our Director of Operations in Livingstone: - The extreme rainfall (reported to be the worst in 100 years), especially in Southern Zambia this year, has flooded large areas, razed hundreds of the traditional thatched, mud and wattle homes in the villages, destroyed much of this season's maize, the staple food relied upon by the rural communities. Roads and bridges have often been swept away (we are unable currently to cross over the river to reach Siamasimbi and Zwanga) which is making access to these needy communities virtually impossible at this time. Here close to Livingstone, in the high temperatures of the Zambezi valley, we are in a marginal rainfall area -- on average 13 to 15 inches of rain throughout the potential 5+ month long rainy season.This season, November 2007 to January 2008, rainfall has already exceeded 50 inches. Torrential downpours can immerse large areas and inundate fields with up to 6 inches of rain in perhaps an hour only! Such high excessive rainfall along with intense deluges has given rise to an official state of emergency declaration and disaster appeals being made. Seeds, young plants & roots have all rotted in the saturated soils, fertiliser has leached away whilst numerous fields have been flattened.Today (22/2/08) after several days of completely dry weather and high temperatures, the moisture in the soil is quickly evaporating with increasing concern that if there is little further rain, any surviving corn will not mature to harvest. It was in 2003 that Rainbow Trust Africa last provided food aid following severe drought. We are well positioned to do so again, and with the personal direction of Ewart Crowther and his staff at the centre in Livingstone we propose to provide food aid, over the coming months, to six remote villages with a population of 2500 and at a cost of £25000