A US$900 000 ($17,1 million) contribution to the World Food Programme (WFP) will boost food security and improve the livelihoods of nearly 9 000 people in southern Zimbabwe.

Communities in the Chiredzi district will benefit from the funding provided by Japan as the WFP rolls out resilience-building activities.

Funds will enable WFP to provide food assistance while at the same time
stimulating local development through the construction of small-scale infrastructure such as small dams and nutrition gardens, the provision
of training for farmers in agriculture and income-generation activities
such as poultry and beekeeping, as well as land reclamation activities.

“We are grateful to Japan for its commitment to expanding the
opportunities of vulnerable rural families,” said Francesca Erdelmann,
WFP’s Country Director in Zimbabwe.

WFP is working with communities to transform rural areas, improving
incomes for farmers and providing financial safety nets.

“Our goal is to ensure food security even for the future, and to do so,
we would like agriculture to remain both attractive and a viable
option for the next generation.”

Japan is one of WFP’s top donors in Zimbabwe.

In addition to funding WFP’s resilience building initiatives, Japan has
also supported WFP’s emergency food assistance activities.

The latest contribution brings Japan’s total contributions towards WFP’s activities in Zimbabwe to $26 million (R494 million)  since 2012, supporting food
assistance and resilience-building for vulnerable communities.

Satoshi Tanaka, Ambassador of Japan to Zimbabwe, hopes the targeted
communities in Chiredzi will, through the construction of community
assets, training in various income-generation activities and restoration
of degraded land, become more resilient to future climate shocks and
economic challenges.

“The goal is not only to support them in the current difficult situation, but also for them not to require assistance in the future,” Tanaka said.

– CAJ News