COVID-19's impact on livelihoods exposes children to hunger
Senanile is only 11 years old, but already bears a heavy burden from having been exposed to hunger since her grandmother is no longer operating her market business because of the outbreak of COVID-19. Before COVID-19, Senanile’s grandmother Busisiwe Eunice Gwebu (69) was operating her marketing business selling chips, sweets and others goodies to the pupils and staff from Sandleni Primary and High School. But since the closure of schools and other related lockdown restrictions, Busisiwe has been unable to generate any money to buy food.
“Previously, we had plenty of food at home and we also ate food cooked from school during lunch", recalls Senanile. "Now, we only get to cook once a day during supper and the remaining food will be eaten the following morning. Some days, we will sleep without food, or have no choice but to eat thin porridge without sugar.”
Her greatest wish is to have the novel coronavirus eradicated so that things will be back to normal and schools opened, so that she can go back to school. Senanile is hoping that her grandmother can return to operating her market business.
“I miss school very much, as well as my friends. It is not nice to stay at home for this long without going to school”, she says. Senanile is registered under World Vision's sponsorship programme, and is one of seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren staying with Busisiwe.
According to Busisiwe, the lockdown has really crippled her business and it has become very challenging to survive without any external assistance. The only money she receives is E500 (US$33) from government grants for the elderly. She last received it in March this year, and was able to buy food for her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
“Every morning, I would go out to sell my ware in both schools and in some days, I would make about E200 (US$13) to E300 (US$20) daily. With this money, I would able to about another stock, and food for the children as well as meeting their needs at school", says Busisiwe. "When COVID-19 came, we were told to stay at home, and business-wise we were directly affected. Since then, we decided to cook once a day to try and reserve what we have. It is very hard though because the younger children still do not understand the situation and they cry during the day when they are hungry.”
The schoolchildren were Busisiwe's greatest customers, and now all schools in the Kingdom of Eswatini have been closed since mid-March. In the past, this family would eat thin porridge with sugar in the morning and later have tea with bread, cook lunch and supper. Today, they have been forced to cook one meal per day when they have food, or starve during some days when they have no food.
According to Busisiwe, her grandchildren would, during school days, also eat at least one meal provided by the school on a daily basis. Now that schools are closed and her market no longer functioning, she faces a great challenge. “I hoped that I would receive food from the ongoing relief being provided government and other actors, but up to today I haven’t been fortunate to receive any”, she says, adding that her family would really appreciate external assistance from well-wishers.