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Remember Deketeke-Herald Correspondent

Zimbabwe yesterday received a consignment of humanitarian assistance from Belarus to help alleviate challenges of the El Nino-induced drought affecting over 9 million people.

The aid package includes food, agricultural equipment, clothing, and supplements.

Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe received the donation on behalf of the Government, expressing gratitude for Belarus’ timely intervention.

The aid not only addressed immediate needs, but also symbolised the strong friendship and cooperation between the two nations, demonstrating collective resilience in the face of adversity.  Minister Garwe appreciated the assistance saying it will go a long way in fighting the effects of the drought.

“We fully appreciate the relationship between the Republic of Zimbabwe and that of Belarus. We estimated that about 9.2 million Zimbabweans were exposed to this phenomenon. In terms of mitigatory measures at a local scale, President Mnangagwa has embarked on a programme to drill boreholes in all our 35 000 villages to ensure that all our people have got access to clean water to drink, there is water for livestock and there is water for horticultural businesses.”

Minister Garwe said the programme was spread to all eight rural provinces, where school children needed supplementary feeding.

“This programme was developed with the aim of providing the most vulnerable children in schools with the most basic needs. The programme is now ensuring that while the children are at school, they are given supplementary food.”

For women and youth, Minister Garwe said the President had also initiated the creation of village business units “where women and youth are growing vegetables, they are growing tomatoes, they are growing onions, part of it for selling in the markets, and part of it for local consumption. This is assisting a lot in rural communities.”

Emergency Situations Deputy Minister in the Republic of Belarus Mr Ihar Bolatau reaffirmed Belarus’ commitment to bilateral cooperation with Zimbabwe.

“Today we are here doing our part in making sure that Zimbabwe has enough resources to mitigate the El Nino-induced drought.

“What we want is to see Zimbabwe’s economy growing despite the drought, and live upon its vision of an upper middle-income society by 2030.”

To foster sustainable practices, he said the two countries had to engage in meaningful dialogue that strengthened efforts to combat climate change.