Scottish Government emergency funding for Zambia

SCIAF is delighted to announce it’s to receive £175,000 from the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergencies Fund (HEF) to provide small cash grants for people facing food crisis in Zambia. 

Around six million Zambians are currently facing a hunger crisis which is putting lives and livelihoods in serious danger. Over 70% of Zambians rely on farming to feed their families. So when harvests fail, hunger inevitably follows. 

This crisis has been made worse by climate change, in particular a crippling drought which was so severe it forced Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema to declare a state of emergency earlier this year. 

Working through its partners Caritas Zambia and Caritas Livingstone, SCIAF will reach more than 9,000 people who currently do not have enough to eat. 

Lorraine Currie, SCIAF Chief Executive, welcomed the funding saying:

“Right now, people in Zambia and neighbouring countries in Africa are at crisis point, with failed harvest after failed harvest. Their dire need is at the heart of our current African Hunger Crisis Appeal. Children are too weak and hungry to go to school and are resorting to foraging for wild fruits. Mothers are going without meals to make sure their children don’t starve. 

“The root cause is climate change, which is ravaging the region. It’s making weather patterns more extreme with more intense, more frequent droughts, floods, and heat waves. Rural areas, where most people farm to feed themselves are the hardest hit."

This vital cash will supplement the generous donations received from SCIAF supporters over the past few months.

"This funding from the Scottish Government will literally save lives. Working with our local partners, we will make sure the most vulnerable people are reached with cash grants which will give them the freedom to quickly buy what their families need to survive. These are our sisters and brothers, and we will not forget them."

Thanks to this funding provided by the Scottish Government, we will work with our partners in Zambia to do all we can to help families survive this crisis and build a better future. We continue to appeal for donations to be able to assist more people in Zambia affected by this crisis, and we will keep speaking out to ensure this catastrophe receives the international attention it deserves.