adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
ABOUT 13 rural districts with the highest food insecurity levels nationwide are set to benefit from the just started World Food Programme (WFP) led Conditional Lean Season Assistance (CLSA) programme.
Speaking yesterday at a Bulilima District inception workshop for the new programme, a senior programme assistant within WFP, Kopani Mhlope said the programme which sought to provide food assistance had already started in Umzingwane District in Matabeleland South.
She said Bulilima District which is also from the same province was set to benefit this month.
“This programme commenced only in Umzingwane District last month because the district was noted to have the highest food insecurity level nationwide. From there the programme will be starting in other food chronic districts across the country,” said Mhlope.
She said research had shown that Matobo, Gwanda and Bulilima districts also had high food insecurity levels within the province and country.
Mhlope said the programme was specifically meant to assist food insecure households during the hunger peak period which stretched from September to March every year.
She said the food intervention programmes being implemented by WFP had various components but the one discussed at yesterday’s workshop was aimed at providing food assistance to seasonally food insecure and vulnerable homesteads.
Mhlope said under the programme communities would be receiving capacity building training that would help solve their food insecurity problems.
Addressing the workshop participants, Mhlope said 12,588 people from seven wards within the district were set to benefit from the three-month long programme.
She said the programme would be implemented by World Vision.
A World Vision official said Nyele, Masendu, Makhulela, Bambadzi, Madlambuzi, Hingwe and Ndolwani areas had been identified as the worst food insecure wards within the district.
The official said her organisation would be conducting training in nutrition education, behaviour change, crop production, livestock production, savings groups and farming as a business activity.
In an interview Bulilima Rural District Council chairperson, Morgen Ndebele said the CLSA programme would be crucial to villagers as some families were faced with severe hunger.
He said people in most parts of the district were now forced to buy mealie-meal from shops but most could not afford the prices.
Ndebele emphasised that the programme and other similar ones to follow had to prioritise extremely vulnerable people.
“A number of programmes meant to benefit vulnerable people have been implemented in the district over the past years but the same mistake keeps repeating itself. The beneficiary selection process is never done as thoroughly as possible and eventually those who benefit are the less vulnerable,” said Ndebele.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter