Mitigating the impact of the economic downturn on vulnerable groups in Zimbabwe (Caritas Gweru) CAFOD Zimbabwe and its partners have long term experience of implementing livelihoods programme in Zimbabwe dating back to 2005. They managed school feeding activities as part of the 2009 Emergency Food Security Programme which took place in 8 dioceses of Zimbabwe. The 2 implementing partners, dioceses of Gweru and Masvingo are very experienced in implementing the proposed activities and were part of the 2009 and the 2010 CAFOD Appeal programmes. Caritas Gweru will focus its work in the districts of Chirumanzi and Zvishvane while Caritas Masvingo will directly implement the project activities in the district of Chivi.  

The overall goal of the programme is to protect the poorest in the downturn through improved food security and social based safety nets. The purpose is to increase access to food and agricultural production for poor and marginalised people as well as vulnerable children who have been affected by the economic downturn in Zimbabwe. This programme will contribute to achieving achieving MDG1 (target 3) and MDG 2 (target 2) and DFID’s first programme objective for this call which is: To protect the poorest in the downturn; improve service delivery, social protection and food security. 

Directly, a total of 11,806 school children (6,030 boys and 5,776 girls) will benefit through the wet feeding programme and 337 teachers and support staff (189 males and 148 females) benefit from daily food rations in 30 schools in Gweru and Masvingo. All children in 25 of the 30 schools targeted for school feeding will benefit from enhanced nutrition from the vegetables grown in the school nutrition gardens. The 25 schools for school gardens were selected as these schools have a reliable water source which is essential for the sustainability and productivity of the gardens.

Indirectly, the families of the 11,806 children estimated at 6 family members per household (an estimated 70,836 people in total); and the families of the 337 teachers and support staff (estimated at 6 people per teacher family (2,022 people in total) will also benefit from this programme.

The activities proposed under this programme are complimentary and additional to the existing CAFOD Zimbabwe’s Relief and Early Recovery funded by Caritas Internationalis and CAFOD’s Protracted Relief Programme (PRP) activities. The activities will be conducted in districts where activities are already underway and as such no additional structures or systems are required.

CAFOD works in close coordination with WFP for all activities related to food distribution. CAFOD participates at district and national level cluster meetings for water and sanitation and food. This ensures effective coordination with other actors in all sectors and works towards ensuring greater coherence of all activities between all agencies. CAFOD works in conjunction with the Caritas National Office to deliver on all programmes. Each of the diocesan partners actively coordinates with other agencies in respective districts to ensure clarity on locations/wards and communities to be targeted for food distribution to avoid duplication and to ensure the neediest are accessed.