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Julia Mugadzaweta Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWE has been listed among the beneficiaries of the $20,8 million United Nations Children’s Fund drought mitigation package.

The donation is from the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development.

In a statement on Monday, Unicef said that the other beneficiaries were Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar.

The package is in response to the El-Nino induced drought.

United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for International Development, Mr Prit Patel urged other development partners to assist in the fight against hunger.

“As we enter 2017, over 37 million people across Africa are without food. Families face losing their homes and livelihoods as the effects of widespread drought worsen,” Mr Patel was quoted as saying.

“Tackling the global challenges of our time such as drought and disease, which fuel migration, insecurity and instability is the right thing to do and is firmly in Britain’s interest.”

The assistance will enable around 456 000 children to be screened for severe malnutrition.

Health care workers will receive critical care training, and over 65 000 children will be treated for diarrhoea, pneumonia or measles.

“As already vulnerable children and their families enter another lean season, these funds are critical for helping them to cope with the on-going impacts of this chronic emergency,” said Leila Gharagozloo-Pakkala, Unicef’s Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Director.

“We greatly appreciate — and applaud — DFID (Department for International Development) for leading the way in ensuring that communities are significantly supported to become further resilient to the recurrent climatic crises we are seeing across much of the region.”

The assistance would run until November 2017.

The grant also comes as Government has extended the state of disaster to enable it to mobilise resources.

The extension of the state of disaster was announced by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere.

“It is hereby notified that His Excellency, the President has, in terms of Section 27 of the Civil Protection Act (Chapter10:06) declared that as a result of the El Nino induced drought, a state of disaster exists in severely affected areas in communal and resettlement lands of Zimbabwe with effect from August 3, 2016,” read the notice published in a Government Gazette a fortnight ago.