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The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), working through the World Food Programme, is complementing Government efforts to assist 13 000 food insecure people in peri-urban Caledonia in Goromonzi on the border with Harare.
The urban cash assistance programme which complements Government’s Zimbabwe food deficit mitigation programme is assisting people in the peri-urban zone with cash so they can buy essential food. Addressing an ECHO delegation on Monday, Goromonzi district development coordinator Mrs Prisca Dube said her office co-ordinates humanitarian support to more than 2 000 households. “The ECHO programme complements what Government is already doing in Caledonia. The location has a population of more than 110 000 people, and the programme supports more than 13 000 people equivalent to about 2 850 households.
“The programme started in February, and we are working with all line ministries such as the Ministries of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare and of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development to support these communities that have not been spared by the El Nino induced drought like the rest of the country,” she said. The urban cash assistance programme contributes towards meeting the immediate needs of the target populations against future shocks, with beneficiaries receiving a monthly entitlement of US$13 per each person in a household via Mukuru Money Transfer. Of the 13 000 targeted beneficiaries, 64 percent are female. A beneficiary who is a mother of eight, said the support comes in at a time when they have not harvested, and schools have just opened.
“Caledonia borders with commercial farms and that is where we normally get work. But this year rains were poor which means less or no work for us. Through this programme, I am receiving US$143 to buy food for my family. This has enabled me to buy nutritious food. It might not be a lot of money to me, but it goes a long way,” she said.
WFP policy officer for the cash based transfer Mr Albert Muraisa said by getting cash, beneficiaries were able to make informed decisions and buy what they wanted at a convenient time.
“We believe that these people know what they want; when you give them cash, you give them a choice. You give them dignity and flexibility to meet their essential requirements.
“Cash-based transfers have multiplier effects on the local economies as the people will buy from their local shops. This, in a way, supports the local retailers to have more business,” he explained. Currently, WFP supports more than 61 000 people with cash based transfers in five areas: Chinhoyi, Mutare, Caledonia, Mzilikazi and Chiredzi. In addition to cash based transfers, WFP supports urban communities through sustainable resilience, livelihood creation, and socio-economic empowerment activities.
The resilience-building programmes seek to make food insecure and vulnerable urban communities and urban areas resilient to economic and climate shock through a community-led approach of capacity building, livelihood promotion, and socio-economic empowerment. The income-generating projects include poultry, mushroom growing, peanut butter making, horticulture and vocational skills training.
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