When Shupikai Komba gave birth to her son, the land around her village in Gokwe North was parched and cracked, the skies withholding rain for far too long. The sun bore down unrelentingly, and hunger had become a quiet but constant companion in her household. The maize fields, once a reliable source of food and income, had shrivelled under the grip of the El Niño-induced drought.
Her newborn son came into the world in the eye of the storm, during one of the harshest droughts the district had seen in years.
“He was so small,” Shupikai recalled, her voice thick with memory. “At six months, he couldn’t gain weight. His skin looked too tight on his tiny bones. We didn’t know what was wrong at first.”
She paused, gathering herself. “We were desperate, but we had no means to help.”
Like thousands of other families in Zimbabwe’s Midlands province, Shupikai found herself trapped between the biting jaws of climate change and food insecurity. The El Niño weather phenomenon, which disrupted rainfall across southern Africa during the 2023/24 season, devastated crops and left many unable to feed their families. In Gokwe North and Mutare, malnutrition surged, particularly among children under five and pregnant women, the most vulnerable of all.
But Shupikai was not alone in her struggle.
Across the district, CARE Zimbabwe, in collaboration with Nutrition Action Zimbabwe and Padare, stepped in with a lifeline. Backed by €3.6 million from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, these organisations launched the Emergency Assistance for Drought-Affected Households project, which provided critical food aid and nutrition support to the region’s most affected communities.
“I gave birth to my child during the peak of the drought,” Shupikai said. “We were struggling to access food and healthcare. But thanks to Nutrition Action Zimbabwe, my child has recovered. He’s lively now—he plays, he laughs. He’s thriving.”
The intervention reached 24,800 vulnerable individuals in Gokwe and Mutare, including nearly 13,000 women. In Gokwe North alone, 12,900 people received food assistance over four distribution cycles. But the help went far beyond simply handing out food.
Tapiwa Magaisa, Executive Director of Nutrition Action Zimbabwe, explained that the initiative had a multi-pronged approach.
“In terms of food assistance, we ensured communities were food secure,” he said. “But we also supported complementary activities—identifying and treating malnutrition, and preparing health facilities to manage it.”
More than 1,100 pregnant and lactating women and caregivers of over 13,000 children received direct nutrition support. Equally important was the education component, which empowered mothers and caregivers with knowledge on how to use locally available foods to prepare balanced, nutritious meals.
“In many homes, meals were limited to sadza and vegetables,” said Jane Mapindire, a nutritionist with the Ministry of Health and Child Care in Gokwe North. “But this project introduced beans, matemba, and other protein sources. It significantly improved dietary diversity and helped turn the tide against malnutrition.”
The health system itself was bolstered through the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition model. 68 nurses were trained in early detection and treatment, while 626 village health workers were equipped to perform active screening and collect critical data.
“The key challenge during this drought was the lack of timely data,” Magaisa said. “So, we trained village health workers to screen for malnutrition in the community. They identified priority areas and gave us the numbers needed to respond quickly and effectively.”
These efforts are already bearing fruit. According to Mapindire, malnutrition cases have declined significantly since the intervention.
“Generally, the population’s nutrition status has improved,” she said. “The project didn’t just feed people—it strengthened our entire nutrition response system.”
Back in her home, Shupikai watches her son take tentative steps across their dusty yard, his laughter echoing off the mud-brick walls. The fear that once gripped her has eased.
“When I look at him now, I see hope,” she said softly. “I didn’t know if he would survive. But we made it, because someone came and said, ‘You are not forgotten.’”
And in villages across Gokwe and Mutare, thousands of mothers like Shupikai are beginning to breathe easier—because in a season of despair, help arrived, and lives were saved
