School takes a backseat as drought hits southern Zambia

Moono is a mother of five children who live in Gwembe in Zambia’s Southern Province along with her husband.  As a family of seven, the onset of the drought in Zambia has forced the family to make difficult decisions to ensure their livelihood and well-being under challenging circumstances.

Moono and her husband were forced to sell all of their livestock assets which included 11 goats and 14 guinea fowl to earn additional income to purchase food. The selling of assets has unfortunately become a common trend in the region as the drought and food security crisis deepens.

With money to buy food being hard to come by, Moono explains that all but one of her children have dropped out of school.
 Saving money to pay for her children’s schools fees (approximately $19 USD per child per school term) has proved difficult, and only Moono’s 17-year-old daughter remains enrolled in school due to financial support she has received from the Social Welfare Office. Her children not enrolled in school range from 11 to 19 years old, and they are expected to play active roles in supporting the family.

Moono explains that prior to the drought, her husband and sons farmed and tended to the goats, while she and her daughters did household chores such as cooking, cleaning and fetching water.

 With new pressures and challenges to find food, the whole family is now involved in collecting water from the local borehole and spending much of the day scavenging for wild fruits and food. While the local borehole is still operational, the water levels are low due to overuse for both human and animal consumption. The family has also begun to eat wild roots which are poisonous if not properly boiled for a long period of time. While this is not an ideal source of food, their options are limited.

When asked about how the drought has affected her family and community, Moono explains. “Before the drought, we grew enough food to eat and had leftovers to sell, including maize and sorghum. We also grew vegetables, including beans, carrots, eggplants, cabbage, groundnuts, paprika, green beans, tomato, and onions.  But nothing grew this last season.”

As the family must now purchase the food they need, Moono and her husband have sought new ways to earn additional money. Moono has begun to weave straw baskets while her husband has built wooden stools. Both Moono and her husband have been successful in trading their crafts for maize at the market to help bolster their diet. Despite these efforts, the family only eats one meal a day with no food leftover. The family fears that this will continue for months to come as the next harvest is not expected until April, and there are no guarantees how it will turn out.