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Thupeyo Muleya  Beitbridge Bureau

THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has given the World Food Programme US$5,7 million towards the ongoing resilience-building programme in Zimbabwe that will benefit 154 000 households in both urban and rural areas affected by climate change and Covid-19.

In the past 12 months, the World Food Programme has received US$45 million from USAID.

Under the project, a total of 140 000 households will be covered in 19 towns, with 14 000 households being targeted in eight rural districts.

The rural households will receive support through its Food Assistance for Assets Programme.

Additionally, the two programmes are set to help develop community skills and create assets to better prepare communities with sustainable livelihood opportunities and improve their capacity to cope with shocks such as Covid-19 and climate change.

USAID acting mission director, Mr Zeb Simpson, said his organisation will continue to bring critical assistance to the most vulnerable Zimbabweans.

“At the same time, we are working to equip households and communities with the skills and resources they need to overcome the shocks and challenges they face,” he said.

According to WFP Zimbabwe, innovative projects like hydroponics which encourages food production through environmentally sustainable techniques will be established in and around cities.

This, it said will empower communities with the tools required to grow and sell food to generate income as many urban livelihoods have been devastated by Covid-19.

“Complementary skills building will also be provided to the communities such as financial literacy, vocational and digital skills, marketing and micro business management training,” said WFP Zimbabwe.

“The rural resilience activities will support community-based asset building, promote village savings and lending groups, and provide training on improving crop storage conditions to reduce harvest loss.

In exchange for participation, food assistance will be provided to supplement shortfalls during the upcoming lean season”.

WFP country director and representative Ms Francesca Erdelmann added that resilience-building activities were key to helping people move beyond a cycle of dependence.

She said both programmes aim to improve livelihood opportunities and provide a regular source of food and nutrition security to people experiencing hardship.

The official said the programmes were community-led and that there will be a focus on the development and maintenance of collective assets, in addition to valuable life skills such as savings and financial literacy that yield longer-term benefits.

Although there was a bumper harvest last season with more than 1 million households benefiting, the World Food Programme still estimates that 5.3 million people will need at least some support.

Despite the positive impact resilience-building programmes have on communities, WFP operations in Zimbabwe remain underfunded — with US$65 million required over the next six months,” said Ms Erdelmann.