Red Cross appeals for US$33 million in food relief for Zimbabwe

December 12, 2009 The Red Cross has appealed for US$33.2 million worth of humanitarian aid to feed 222,035 hungry people in Zimbabwe. According to the institution, there are 2.8 million or so people in the country who are "food-insecure".

“The Red Cross is appealing for 38.4 million Swiss francs [US$33.2 million] to continue its emergency food operation until September 2010,” the Red Cross said in a statement on Friday.

Emma Kundishora, the secretary-general of Zimbabwe’s Red Cross, commented further on the appeal. “The group that we are targeting [222,035 people] is acutely vulnerable. This is a group affected by HIV and Aids. It is a group that is particularly poor, and because of this they are unable to access foreign currency to purchase food.”

The United Nations has asked for about $378 million worth of aid for Zimbabwe for 2010, some of it intended to help feed hungry people. The Red Cross said it would be giving out food aid in the country until next September.