Zimbabwe Joint Response 2 SUMMARY
This project was implemented between March 1 and August 31st, 2017. This project was implemented by Plan International Zimbabwe, and targeted vulnerable food insecure households and malnourished children at schools in rural Midlands in Zimbabwe. This region had the 3rd highest number of food insecure people (633,520) during the hunger peak and the 2nd highest Severe Acute Malnutrition prevalence for children <5 (ZimVAC 2016). The school feeding program of the Ministry of Education is under-resourced in rural Midlands, which affects school attendance and consequently educational outcomes. Inflation and diminishing purchasing power limit vulnerable farmers’ capacity to access inputs and services in preparation for the coming agricultural season (HRP 2016). As per Plan’s assessment, due to the focus on food acquisition, efforts to focus on the productive assets were minimized in rural Midlands. Hence early recovery of community productive assets will be included in our response. The present food insecurity (IPC Phase 3) in Zimbabwe is a cumulative effect of two consecutive poor agricultural seasons; in 2014/15 and the El Niño induced drought conditions affecting the 2015/2016 harvesting season. The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) 2016 Rural Livelihoods Assessment shows that 4.1 million people require food assistance (42% of the population) during the peak food insecure period from Jan – March 2017 (HRP 2016). Households at high risk of food insecurity and malnutrition include child and female headed households, households with people living with HIV/AIDS, and labor constrained households (ZimVAC 2016). Zimbabwe’s food insecurity is expected to last until March 2017 when main annual harvesting period (April-July period) is upcoming. However, it is expected that vulnerable households will take longer to recover and require support after the lean season; their food insecurity situation will persist for a period of 10-12 months (HNO 2016). As per HRP 2016, early recovery activities are recommended as vital in deriving the response and building resilience to ongoing stresses and shocks. OBJECTIVE 1: Emergency food assistance. Food security will be enhanced through mobile cash transfers for the most food insecure households (markets are functioning).

OBJECTIVE 2: Strengthening community resilience, through early recovery interventions in agriculture and food and nutrition security relevant assets. Community resilience will be strengthened through the rehabilitation of community productive assets, directly supporting improved production in the post-harvest period. The project will target 6250 food insecure people in rural Kwekwe (63% women). Transparent selection criteria will be used to ensure effective targeting of the most vulnerable households, characterized by female and child headed households, orphans, vulnerable children, people living with disability& high levels of poverty resulting is depleted livelihood assets.Beneficiary selection criteria will be informed by food security and child protection indicators including variables as household production, stocks, livestock ownership, arable land for cultivation, income source, casual labour availability, women, elderly, child headed households. 2500 children (3-10 years) enrolled in the 10 most affected schools will benefit from school feeding. 200 labour constrained households will benefit from the rehabilitated community assets ensuring that crop production supports their food and nutrition requirements. FSA.A1.2 Unconditional cash-transfer.
FSA.A1.4 School feeding
FSA.A1.5 Capacity building and strengthening, including training of school development committees, and community disaster risk management committees.
FSA.A2.4 Rehabilitation of community gardens
FSA.A2.6 Awarenessraising about disaster risks and preparedness.