Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare in CHIREDZI
THE Zimbabwe Red Cross Society is scaling up assistance to Chiredzi communities affected by floods in January, with families receiving food and basic household commodities.
The intervention, supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies through the Disaster Response Emergency Fund, is targeting 10 000 people in selected communities in Chiredzi and Beitbridge districts.
Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, which plays an auxiliary role to Government in humanitarian response, is working with volunteers and local stakeholders to reach vulnerable households.
The society’s response includes food, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, protection and other essential needs.
Secretary general Mr Elias Hwenga said the assistance was intended to help families meet immediate needs while rebuilding their lives.
“For families who have lost their homes, food and household belongings to flooding, this assistance is about more than meeting immediate needs; it is about restoring dignity and giving communities the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives,” he said.
The latest phase includes cooking oil, sugar, salt, rice, soap and other essential household commodities, while shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene non-food items have already been provided to affected households.
The January floods caused loss of life, damage to homes and infrastructure and disruption of livelihoods in several parts of Zimbabwe, with low-lying communities among those particularly affected.
The international federation is supporting the Zimbabwean society through technical and financial assistance under the Disaster Response Emergency Fund, enabling the national society to expand its humanitarian response.
Its planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting officer, Ms Tariro Kamangira, said the partnership was aimed at strengthening the national society’s capacity to support Government during disasters.
“The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society plays an auxiliary role to the Government in humanitarian response, while the international federation supports the society to strengthen its capacity to respond to communities affected by disasters,” she said.
The operation also provides multipurpose cash assistance to selected households in Beitbridge urban, alongside health, protection, gender and inclusion and community engagement activities. In Nyabongwe, Chiredzi, the assistance is providing relief to families still recovering from the floods.
For 50-year-old Ottilia Ruvengo of Village 3, the food support has eased pressure on her household.
“This food has given us some relief because we were struggling to put food on the table after the floods,” she said.
“After the floods, everything became difficult. We lost some of the things we depended on, and finding food became a daily challenge,” she said.
In nearby Village 5, 29-year-old Tariro Ziupfu said the assistance had arrived when her household needed it most.
“I felt relieved because this came at a time when we really needed help,” she said.
Ziupfu said families were now looking beyond the immediate crisis and trying to restore their livelihoods. For Nyabongwe families, the assistance is providing temporary relief as they rebuild households and work towards restoring their livelihoods after the floods.
