Government is working on providing food aid in urban areas
to ensure the estimated 2,2 million food insecure people living in towns do not
go hungry, with a pilot project on indentifying the vulnerable already taking
place in Epworth.
The pilot project is being undertaken in conjuction with
the World Food Programme (WFP), and will set the parameters for indentifying
more beneficiaries.
The new thrust was revealed by Public Service, Labour and
Social Welfare Minister Dr Sekai Nzenza in an interview with The Herald
yesterday after a key workshop sponsored by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) held in Nyanga over the weekend.
The workshop, which included senior staffers in the
Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and donor partners, aimed
at reviewing the social welfare strategy and refocus to maximise efficiency.
Minister Nzenza said while the five-year strategy was not
yet complete, they had identified key goals, with the immediate one being food
distribution.
She said delivering food aid to urban areas was critical as
about 2,2 million faced food shortages.
“We are going to be working more closely with the World
Food Programme,” said Minister Nzenza. “We will work in rural areas, but we
also have the urban poor and already we know from the ZimVAC (Zimbabwe
Vulnerability Assessment Committee) report that we have got about 2,2 million
people in the urban areas in need of food.
“So, currently we are working with the World Food Programme
on a pilot project in Epworth on how we can identify the beneficiaries in an
urban area to provide them with adequate food.”
Minister Nzenza said Government wanted to ensure that there
was an effective distribution system of food aid, from the Grain Marketing
Board to the district and ward levels.
“The challenge we are experiencing now is that the GMB
vehicle can get to the GMB depot, they may get to the district, but from there
to ward level that’s where transporters are charging some thing like $10, $20
per bag,” she said.
“Where do people get that money. More so, they want the
money in cash. So, we are in conversation now, going forward with DDF (District
Development Fund) and the army to see how we can speed up the processes of
delivering food to the remotest village.”
Poor rainfall in the last summer cropping season due to El
Nino resulted in most poor urban families that engage in urban agriculture
failing to get decent yields from their crop, thereby exposing them to food in
security.
Minister Nzenza said for the first time ever, Government
was working with all the donor partners for the social welfare review of the
strategy.
UNICEF, the International Labour Organisation, UNESCO and
others, including the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations
(NANGO), which coordinates the implementation of the non-State actors’
coordination and capacity strengthening programme, attended the three-day
workshop in Nyanga.
“I was pleased that NANGO came because they are
representing the majority of the NGOs in the country and the role of NGOs is to
complement Government efforts. But if an NGO is not clear on the strategy of
the Government or not clear on the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP),
how can they be complementing us?” said Minister Nzenza.
“They are working hard, but we need to work together. We
also wanted to see how well we are alive to the President’s vision to make this
country become an upper middle income economy by 2030, though our strategy is
looking at the next five years.”
Zimbabwe has revised upwards the budget for humanitarian
support to US$464 million amid indications that about 5,5 million people are
food insecure. Herald
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