Government grain loan scheme, not the only solution

More than 93 000 people urgently need food aid in Masvingo and the number is expected to increase as the drought begins to take its toll in the province.

The increase of the number of people in urgent need of food aid in Zimbabwe has coincided with the banning of 30 NGOs in the country. This reflects how grave the situation is, considering that a number of people had been sorely relying on these NGOs.It can happen that the Government might even fail to manage the effects of drought in the country.Athough the government has introduced the grain loan scheme, there is no guarantee that this system will be efficient enough to curb the effects of drought in the province and other parts of the country facing similar drought effects. The government grain loan scheme will not be helpful to this large number of people who are affected by drought when its operating on its own. It needs the help of several NGOs who will assist in providing food aid to the people. Therefore, Titus Maluleke’s ( Masvingo Provincial Governor) decision of banning NGOs in this situation when a number of people in the country are in urgent need of them was a nonsensical and a selfish move. I think that the introduction of the government loan scheme might not be the only perfect solution right now. What the people need most is help from various NGOs operating in the country. 
Sunday News-18-24/03/12