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Small victim: Two men carry the body of a baby recovered in the rubble. By ZINYANGE AUNTONY (AFP)
Eunica Simango sits in a rescue center in Chimanimani, eyes downcast.
A week ago, everything she owned, including a henhouse where she raised chickens, was swept by a mudslide when Cyclone Idai, after hitting Mozambique, returned against Zimbabwe.
Yet this material loss is nothing compared to the devastating absence of her teenage daughter who was swept away by the rising tide.
She is one of about 200 missing persons, including 30 schoolchildren, and 139 confirmed deaths.
A girl drinks water in a bucket next to a pile of clothes donated to St. John's Catholic Church in Chimanimani, where displaced families were housed. By ZINYANGE AUNTONY (AFP) "I lost everything," said Simango, 34.
"My house, my property, my chickens, I live now with help that I never imagined.
"The most painful thing is: I do not know where my daughter is."
Supporters installed the temporary shelter in a conference room of a majestic Chimanimani hotel to feed the victims of the storm.
But the resources of this poor country are slim and there is no guarantee that the center will remain open.
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In another rescue center, the food was also poor.
"Do with the little we have," said Daina Mandevhana, a volunteer.
"We should not expect to eat as long as our belly is not full or to complain by saying" at home, I had used to take my tea with milk ", a- she declared.
"It's the situation we have and we should accept it."
Fear of famine is growing in communities that have been cut off after torrential winds and rains have destroyed bridges and submerged or destroyed roads.
The families of Chimanimani are still rummaging through the debris, hoping to find the remains of missing relatives.
Josephine Mutambabishi, 52, said she lost her anti-HIV drugs during the disaster: a friend helped her with a few days of supplies. By ZINYANGE AUNTONY (AFP) Some people on long-term treatment for diseases such as HIV lost their medicines and used urgent supplies.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, after visiting the area, said he has witnessed a "desperate desperation".
Zimbabwe declared the state of disaster and launched a call for help. According to the UN, 200,000 people have been affected.
Crops and livestock have been destroyed, threatening hunger and poverty for those who survive.
Need helicopters
"There are people who have lost their homes and belongings in places like Kopa and Rusitu," said Shawne Kidd, a local businessman who is involved in relief and recovery efforts.
He and other volunteers run a feeding center, in some cases digging into their own pockets to buy food for the victims who have lost their homes.
Military aid: a soldier prepares breakfast for families staying at Ngangu High School in Chimanimani. But the most pressing need is to have helicopters, to save lives and to provide help. By ZINYANGE AUNTONY (AFP) "The villagers want food but our means of getting in and out are limited, roads have been damaged and bridges broken."
Kidd said that the big problem was not the lack of will, but ways to get things moving.
"Hundreds of organizations are ready to help," he said.
"There is a lot of help out there.The problem is to introduce it.There is no landing strip.Haricopters are used to bring medical supplies. "
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