Mozambique distributes food in schools to avert hunger

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Mozambique distributes food in schools to avert hunger

8:22 CAT | 11 Mar 2016

In File Club of Mozambique

Mozambican Minister of Education and Human Development, Jorge Ferrão has announced that his ministry is to introduce free distribution of food packs to thousands of school children in drought-stricken areas in the south of the country, APA learns here on Thursday. The measure, Ferráo explained, is aimed at ensuring that no pupil drops school due to hunger. He was speaking soon after visiting education institutions of Inhambane, one of the three southern Mozambican provinces severely affected by drought since last year.

“These schools require, from us, special care and the special care, in this circumstance, would be to introduce the distribution of free snacks. We, as ministry, do not have logistic capacity to carry out this project alone. We rely on our partners,” he said.

The government says so far over 584,000 hectares of crops are regarded as lost and the impact on livestock has also been serious, with the loss of 4,584 head of cattle.

The drought is caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon. This is the anomalous heating of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean, affecting the circulation of winds and global weather patterns. Rosario noted that the current El Nino is the most intense for half a century.

Seven of South Africa’s nine provinces are affected, with the loss of about 90 percent of their maize production.

In Swaziland, 360,000 people could be facing food insecurity by April, and restrictions have been imposed on access to water.

In Zimbabwe, the amount of land under production has fallen by 40 percent compared with last year.

Source: APA