Dear Editor,


Hunger and poverty have swept through Zimbabwe since the year, 1998. Robert Mugabe has been the reigning president of Zimbabwe since 1980 and may be the person behind the devastating genocide occurring in this nation. During his reign, he has become the enemy of the underclass Zimbabweans. Mugabe’s “Operation Murambatsvina” (a.k.a.) “Operation Drive out the Filth” has taken a great toll on the country’s poor. Mugabe is driving out all residents of Zimbabwe who do not support him politically by ordering the 5 Brigade/Zanu-PF to bulldoze homes and businesses, including the black market. This operation has left over 700,000 residents homeless and hungry. Pius Ncube, the Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo says: “The government is very happy about the food situation as they know they can use food to make people vote for them again,” he says. “They use every advantage.”


Another objective of Mugabe is to remove white farmers from their land and replace them with political hacks that have no interest in agriculture. Because of land seizures coupled with severe draught conditions, 95 percent of the crops have failed which has led to the starvation and malnutrition of citizens. According to Times Online, doctors in Zimbabwe say the population’s chronic malnutrition, combined with HIV, leads to the onset of full-blown Aids far faster than anywhere else in Africa. Robert Mugabe is also cutting off foreign aid from countries attempting to help the starving Zimbabweans.


“Grandmother Ndlolo Dube sits on the dusty ground outside her mud-and-pole hut and looks out on a land that has never seemed so dry and unforgiving. The field that was supposed to feed her and her orphaned grandchildren is littered with dead broken maize stalks….she shows the half-full 50kg bag of maize that is all the family has harvested this year… It’s just enough to last two or three weeks, then I don’t know what we’ll do.” Times Online

Zimbabweans need our support now.


If you are interested in learning more about ways you can help the Zimbabweans facing genocide, check out www.healinghandsinternational.org for ways to donate or to learn more on this issue.



Sincerely,
Brianne