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Midlands Bureau

Eighty thousand people in Kwekwe have registered to receive assistance under the Cash for Cereal Urban Relief Fund.
Kwekwe social development officer Ms Samantha Matina said this during a recent District Development Committee meeting.

“Kwekwe City has registered 80 938 beneficiaries for the Cash for Cereal Urban Relief Fund. The programme aims to support those struggling with food insecurity, and it is sponsored by the Government,” said Ms Matina.

“The names of the beneficiaries were compiled through a door-to-door programme which has just been completed and the names will be sent to Social Welfare headquarters in Harare,” she said.

Assistant district development coordinator, Mr Reason Machina said the district has begun a school feeding scheme targeting primary schools in urban and rural areas.

He said in urban areas, schools in high-density suburbs are benefitting, while those in low-density and private schools are not covered under the programme.

“The programme started as soon as schools opened. Schools are encouraged to collect their food from the Grain Marketing Board,” said Mr Machina.

Zimbabwe’s El Niño-induced drought has severely affected the nation’s food security.

To combat this, Government has rolled out a national programme to mitigate the impact of the drought, including food aid distribution