From despair to hope

of food,” she said, adding that life was a tough because she did not have a steady source of income.
Limited employment opportunities in rural areas force many productive young people to migrate to urban areas or neighbouring South Africa but Anna could not leave her children.
However, her fortunes changed when she joined Kugutakushanda Garden, a community garden project being implemented with assistance from the United Nations in partnership with Care International Zimbabwe in the Chivi district of Masvingo province.
The project entails gardening to boost the livelihoods of communities as beneficiaries get food for subsistence and sell the surplus.
Community garden food production enables access to food and income all year round for vulnerable households, particularly in areas like Masvingo province that are traditionally arid and therefore prone to drought.
The area has experienced a succession of dry spells, resulting in crop failure and leaving the community desperate need for food.
Further, most garden projects were under threat due to water shortages following a series of droughts, prompting interventions aimed at improving water access.
To this end, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)-managed Emergency Response Fund (ERF) supported interventions aimed at improving water access and management at the community gardens.
Well-irrigated community gardens cushion against shocks induced by recurring droughts and crop failure, hence the need to ensure a stable water source.
The ERF supported the installation of pumping units and pipe networks, as well as the construction of elevated tanks at the gardens to bring water closer, thereby ensuring a constant water supply throughout the year.
Now Anna can afford to feed her family, in addition to buying household items, livestock and farming implements that she uses on her field, thereby further boosting her income.
“I’m glad that now I can earn my own income and I do not have to ask my husband for money. The tomatoes alone earn me US$50,” she says, adding that she also grows sweet potatoes, green vegetables, onions, maize and other vegetables, which she either sells at the market or barters to meet her family’s needs. 
Anna says her life has moved to another level. Now she does not worry about what she will eat and can focus on other areas of her life. Prior to the ERF-supported component of the project, communities had to manually fetch water from a nearby dam and water their gardens, which took up most of their productive time.
However, the introduction of the system has made their work a lot easier as water is drawn from the dam to the elevated tank using a treadle pump.
From the tanks, the water is distributed to various taps through a pipe network.
Beneficiaries can then connect hosepipes to the nearest tap and water their gardens.
This is less laborious and saves time, leaving Anna to engage in activities such as going to the market to sell her wares.
The ERF is a fund established and managed by OCHA for humanitarian assistance.
It has funded 60 local projects since its inception in Zimbabwe, in 2008.
The fund is open throughout the year for applications in response to areas identified through the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP).
Eligible applicants include both local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations (UN) agencies and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement.