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Herald Reporters
Japan has availed US$1,25 million through the World Food Programme to support vulnerable and food-insecure Zimbabwean communities hit by climate shocks and the effects of Covid-19.
In a statement yesterday, Japan Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Satoshi Tanaka said the support will assist 11 080 people in building community and household assets in Mount Darwin and Matobo districts.
“In collaboration with WFP, the Government of Japan continues to deliver support from the people of Japan to the most vulnerable communities in Zimbabwe, focusing on improving their nutrition and building their resilience,” he said.
WFP country director and representative, Ms Francesca Erdelmann, said Japan was one of the programme’s largest donors and that its assistance will go a long way in supporting the nutrition needs of citizens.
“This contribution will enable Zimbabwean communities to move out of food insecurity and towards sustainable livelihoods,” she said. “It will not only provide immediate access to food support for the most vulnerable, but will also sustainably address the long-term food security of rural communities by rehabilitating and building productive community assets such as small weir dams, nutrition gardens, cattle dip tanks and fish ponds.”
Japan has been supporting infrastructure projects and communities affected by natural disasters in Zimbabwe. Last year, Japan mobilised over US$15,3 million in emergency funding to assist vulnerable communities affected by drought and floods.
The funds were channelled through United Nations agencies — WFP, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the International Organisation for Migration. They were used to purchase and distribute about 26 000 tonnes of maize to meet the essential food security needs of 512 000 households in rural areas for a period of six months.
Online Reporter