Nutrition Action Zimbabwe (NAZ) is in partnership with Action Against Hunger (ACF) and Africa Ahead (AA) in implementing the Multisector emergency intervention for vulnerable Zimbabweans affected by the protracted drought and socioeconomic crisis project, funded by USAID/OFDA (BHA). The project has a total budget of $1million and is running for 12 months starting on 1 July 2020 and ending on 30 June 2021. The project is being implemented in 2 semi-arid districts of Masvingo province (Chiredzi and Mwenezi districts), targeting 2650 households i.e. 13250 individuals with WASH and Agriculture & Food Security activities. The partners are implementing multi-sector interventions to address the immediate needs of the most vulnerable populations affected by the ongoing protracted drought and socioeconomic crisis in Zimbabwe through:
1. Improved access to adequate safe water and reduced risk of water-borne disease for 18,000 drought and socio-economic crisis affected people in Chiredzi Urban, Chiredzi Rural and Mwenezi Rural Districts.
2. Increased access to sustainable and nutritious food sources as well as income to meet basic needs at household level.
Africa Ahead is leading the WASH component and NAZ leading the Agriculture and Food Security component. The overall goal of the project is to provide integrated food security and WASH support to crisis-affected communities in Chiredzi and Mwenezi districts with a view to addressing immediate food security and WASH needs and supporting the recovery of household incomes.
The specific objectives of the project are:
1. Households have improved access to food through recovered agricultural livelihoods.
2. To Improve access of quantity and quality of water and sanitation for drought affected communities and ensure hygiene coping capacities are enhanced.
Under the Agriculture and Food security sector, Nutrition Action Zimbabwe is targeting a total of 1550 households i.e. 7750 individuals with small livestock (indigenous poultry) and low input gardens (LIG) in both Chiredzi and Mwenezi districts. The beneficiaries are broken down as follows: 750 households (3,750 individuals) supported to establish low input vegetable gardens; 800 households (4,000 individuals) supported with small livestock (poultry). The project prioritizes women as direct recipients (of inputs and training) as they are traditionally in charge of vegetable gardening and poultry rearing. The project expects households to have increased access to sustainable and nutritious food sources as well as income to meet basic needs through low input garden activities. Under the livestock sub-sector, beneficiaries are expected to have improved access to a high-protein food source and basic income to support access to essential services at household level.