BWAid sending relief to southern Africa countries

BWAid sending relief to southern Africa countries

Baptist World Aid (BWAid), the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), has sent $20,000 to Baptists in Zimbabwe and $10,000 to Malawian Baptists to help them in their drought relief programs. Millions of people are going hungry, as famine looms after crop failures and political insecurity.

The United Nation’s World Food program is assessing aid for six southern African countries, and cites the situation in Malawio, Zambia and Zimbabwe as being critical. There are four Baptist groups in Zimbabwe, and since the last serious drought a decade ago, they have worked more closely together, especially in relief and development matters.

With this new crisis, the joint relief committee has presented BWAid with a request for a substantial amount of money.

The initial goal is to provide food for those most in need, but also to work with government, communities and other organizations toward greater food security and self-sustainability.

“There was virtually no harvest from the 10 provinces of our country,” reported James Chitenga, chair of the Zimbabwean Baptist Joint committee. “The situation is so severe coupled with acute shortages of basic commodities like cooking oil and sugar, not to mention the national staple food of mealie meal.”

(BWA)