Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has availed another grant of US$2 million to support more than 2,000 vulnerable families in three urban areas in the next 12 months.
The project will be implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP). Under the model, WFP will create assets and develop transformative skills that will improve vulnerable families, and communities’ access to livelihood opportunities.
In addition, the targeted communities will benefit from community-shared assets such as greenhouses, and income-generation activities.
USAID acting mission director, Ms Priscilla Sampil, said as part of the programme, the WFP will provide internal savings and lending (ISAL) training to boost financial literacy among participants while the youth will undertake digital and vocational skills development training.
“The Urban Resilience programme will improve the ability of these urban households to meet their basic food and nutrition needs while reducing the negative coping strategies, and need for urgent assistance,” she said.
“This is our third round of USAID funding to the World Food Programme’s Urban Resilience Programme, demonstrating our government’s commitment to tackling food insecurity and poverty in urban areas.”
USAID’s latest contribution to WFP’s food and resilience activities in Zimbabwe brings the total contributions from the United States to over US$8,9 million this year.
WFP representative and country director, Ms Francesca Erdelmann, said with the help from USAID, her organisation will continue supporting income-generating activities while working with national and local institutions to advance policies and social protection for the urban poor.
It is estimated that around 1,5 million people living in urban areas in the country are food insecure. According to WFP, some of the people who live in urban areas have fewer opportunities for subsistence livelihoods compared to rural areas. -@tupeyo
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