United Kingdom is releasing £4 million (approx. US$5.4 million) to help support 110,000 food-insecure Zimbabwean people living in 8 urban areas.
The targeted vulnerable people include the elderly, people with disabilities and child-headed households have been severely impacted by Covid-19 and the support, implemented by the UN’s World Food Programme, will come in the form of monthly cash transfers or electronic vouchers worth 12 USD per person which can be redeemed in supermarkets.
Zimbabwe’s Development Director for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said,” Zimbabwe is facing a humanitarian crisis which has been compounded by a deteriorating economy and the COVID-19 pandemic. This extra UK aid support will mean people can feed their families and prevent the crises from escalating.”
“We hope to see other donors step up to the plate with some extra funding to support the people of Zimbabwe through this difficult time.”
Statistics show that of the 5.6 million Zimbabwean people who may be pushed into hunger, 2.2 million will be urban dwellers.
Country Director and Representative of the World Food Programme in Zimbabwe, Francesca Erdelmann, said, “We are so grateful for our partnership with the UK’s FCDO.”
“This generous and timely contribution from the people of the United Kingdom will go a long way to relieve the hunger burden on Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable urban population.”
“WFP and the humanitarian community are facing a shortage of funding, and this contribution will ensure we can continue to save lives at this critical time when the grip of COVID-19 on the country is tightening and putting people’s livelihoods on the line.”
The latest UK funding is part of a wider £40.4 million Zimbabwe Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (ZHARP) which, through the World Food Programme, has since November 2019 provided food aid and cash transfers to the poorest and most vulnerable Zimbabweans.
Besides Zimbabwe, eight other countries will also benefit from the £47 million to provide food, nutrition, water and shelter to help over 1.3 million vulnerable people. These include Sahel, Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda, Venezuela and Mozambique.
