Many households are living in severe poverty unable to access basics such as food, health care and education. The country continues to face persistent levels of chronic malnutrition, which are exacerbated by food insecurity and deepening poverty. Independent economists say Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is at over 95% (BBC, 2017). Children are among the most vulnerable groups to poverty. Teachers have been saying that many disadvantaged children in schools in Zimbabwe struggle to focus in class because they are hungry. Providing a nutritious daily meal helps to improve their concentration, school attendance and attainment.

Leap into Hope has been running a school feeding program but there are many more children in great need. This can be achieved with more resources. We need funds for simple ingredients such as mealie meal, beef, chicken, beans and vegetables that would be prepared to provide nutritious meals. It costs £1.40 a week or £56 a year to feed a child. Nearly 28 percent of children under age five in Zimbabwe for example are stunted, or have heights too low for their age, as a result of chronic malnutrition and more than half (56 percent) of all children between the ages of 6 and 59 months suffer from anemia. Less than a quarter (17.3 percent) of Zimbabwean children between the ages of 6 and 23 months receive the recommended minimum acceptable diet for adequate nutrition. Poverty is most prevalent in rural areas, with 76 percent of rural households living on less than US$1.25 per day. Price instability, especially during the lean season, compromises households’ ability to access adequate food year-round through markets (World Food Programme 2015).