Excitement as Binga receives food rations

TWIN sisters Prisca and Primrose Moyo (14) from Tinde in Binga could not hide their excitement in anticipation of a decent meal that had eluded them for some time, as they sat on three bags of maize stacked together.

It was on a Thursday afternoon and the twin sisters were among scores of people that gathered at Tinde Business Centre to receive grain relief under the Government’s food distribution programme meant to cushion citizens from hunger.

Tinde Business Centre was littered with ox and donkey-drawn scotch carts, wheelbarrows and bicycles as villagers readied to carry their three-months maize allocation back home.

The twins are among over 136 000 vulnerable people being targeted in Binga District under the programme and over half a million to be reached across Matabeleland North Province following the launch of the provincial food distribution programme last month.Government has rolled out the programme and families have started receiving their three-months’ rations with each person getting 7.5kg of maize per month.

A Chronicle news crew observed food distribution taking place in Tinde, Simbala, Saba and other areas in Binga on Wednesday and Thursday last week.Faces once covered with despair were filled with joy as people received their rations at a time when the El Nino induced drought is ravaging communities.

There are 520 524 food-insecure persons in 167 wards across the seven districts, representing over 65 percent of the population in need of food aid after most families realised poor to no harvest at all as a result of the El Nino weather phenomenon.

According to the 2022 census results, Matabeleland North has a population of 749 017 of which 360 776 are males and 388 241 are females. The province has 160 912 households.

Prisca and Primrose dropped out of school because their parents could not raise their school fees.They were left in the care of a grandmother who stays at her homestead in the same village while their parents went to Hwange where they are doing illegal brick moulding.

The twins and their five minor siblings are one of the many child-headed families left by parents who seek to make ends meet to provide for their children.

“We are no longer going to school because our parents can’t afford our school fees. Our parents are in Hwange doing brick moulding while we stay alone. So, today, we have just collected our three bags of maize and are waiting to get transport home. We can’t say we were sleeping on empty stomachs but we were staring hunger in the face and this will go a long way in changing our lives,” the sisters said.

They are lucky to have reached 14 years of age before being married off or getting pregnant, which is prevalent in the district.

Near them was Ms Patience Munkuli, a mother of five from Manzasya Ward 18 who was also excited about receiving the maize.

“We received 7.5kg per person to make three bags because there’s seven of us including my husband and our five children. This is real relief because we have been surviving on handouts and sometimes from selling vegetables from our garden, which has almost dried up because of water challenges. Due to lack of money, we will likely almost share this grain with grinding mill operators because they demand five kilograms as payment to process a bucket,” said Ms Munkuli.

Nineteen-year-old Ms Shylet Maphosa, a mother of one from Tinde Centre said she got four buckets for herself, her maternal grandmother and daughter.

At the nearby Tinde Clinic, there was a Partnership for Social Accountability (PSA) programme spearheaded by Binga based Basilwizi Trust in partnership with various organisations including lead partner Action Aid Zimbabwe and Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) which had organised a media tour to capacitate journalists to integrate Sexual Reproductive Health Rights with agriculture to build food security and the programme started late with a handful of people as the whole community was at the food distribution.

The PSA programme is being implemented in five southern African countries and during the week, VMCZ and Basilwizi Trust took journalists from various media houses on tour of some projects being implemented by mentees in Binga’s Tinde and Siansundu wards to build the capacity of journalists in social accountability reporting and strengthen their watchdog role, fostering a more informed and empowered citizenry.

Food insecurity is a threat to community programming and development.Those left out of food distribution because they are able bodied or are of means will be covered through the Isiphala Senkosi programme where each chief is being allocated five tonnes of grain per ward under their jurisdiction.

President Mnangagwa declared the drought a national disaster.In Binga, 136 210 persons are insecure and 1 021,57 metric tonnes of grain is needed per month. In Hwange, 50 899 persons are food insecure with 381,7 metric tonnes of grain needed, Lupane district has 68 210 persons who are food insecure, their monthly requirement is 511,57 metric tonnes while in Tsholotsho 69 283 are in need of food aid with 519,62 metric tonnes needed for their monthly allocation.

Bubi has 48 497 food insecure persons whose monthly allocation is 364 metric tonnes while in Umguza, the 82 004 food insecure persons need a monthly allocation of 615 metric tonnes of grain.Binga District Development Co-ordinator, Mr Land Kabome said only three wards are outstanding in the food distribution which is ongoing.

He said data collection is also ongoing.

“We are getting grain from Dete GMB and we hired transporters as we should finish this week. Today, distribution is happening in Ward 20 and we will be left with three wards to be completed by Wednesday. People are getting allocations for June to August while for those that are able bodied, we have engaged traditional leaders to identify projects in their areas so that they work and get allocations,” he said.

Mr Kabome said some community members are helping in the construction of clinics in Manyanda and Mabobolo while in Chopungwe they are clearing a road to the local school.

“Everyone is happy so far. As a district we had 99 000 vulnerable people and we requested for more, which took our tally to 136 210 including the able bodied. The district has a population of about 159 820,” he said.

Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Richard Moyo said food distribution had started in all districts.

“We launched the programme last month and all districts have started getting their three months’ allocation. We decided to give three months to cut on transport costs and each family member is getting 7,5kg per month. “Almost everyone will get grain because the able bodied will also benefit through Isiphala Senkosi,” said Minister Moyo.