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Zimbabwe:
Humanitarian Report - March 2005
Relief
Web
April 11, 2005
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/VBOL-6BCDFZ?OpenDocument&rc=1&cc=zwe
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the Government of Zimbabwe's Food and nutrition sentinel site surveillance
report: Nov - Dec 2004
The Nutrition Surveillance
Status in Zimbabwe
The Food
and Nutrition Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and
Child Welfare has released the much awaited nutrition surveillance results
for the data which was collected in November/December 2004.
The results have taken
longer than expected to be released, raising concern with carrying out
another data collection. Some of the highlights from the survey include
the following;
- Poor nutritional
status was highest in sentinel sites in the southern part of the country
and was highest among school children in Bulilimamangwe (6,7%) and Tsholotsho
(6,1%) An acceptable level in a normal situation according to the Nutrition
Council is 2%.
- Commercial farms
averaged over 10 districts) have alarming high stunting (47%) and high
underweight (23, 5%) among children 6-59 months.
- All three nutrition
indicators which are wasting, stunting and underweight were worse for
orphans compared to non orphans.
- Gutu district in
Masvingo province recorded the highest number of orphans among children
6-59 months (18%)
- 28% of the surveyed
households use unsafe water sources and have no access to toilets.
The review meeting
conclude with recommendations to specifically address the following:
- Need to scale up
OVC programmes;
- In depth study
on factors associated with high malnutrition rates particularly for
the so uthern districts of the country;
- The surveillance
system needs to be scaled up to cover all districts in Zimbabwe instead
of the 10 surveyed districts only;
- There is need to
integrate HIV indicator in the surveillance system;
- There is also need
to develop a dissemination strategy to ensure timely use of information
generated in decision making, policies and programs.
For further information
or to obtain a copy of the full report, organizations can contact Scientific
and Industrial Research development Centre, The Food and Nutrition Council
in Harare as well as UNICEF.
National Vulnerability
Capacity Assessment (ZIMVAC) Planned
The Regional
Vulnerability Assessment Committee (RVAC) had a meeting with the Chairs
of the National Vulnerability Assessment Committees (NVAC) in Johannesburg
in early March, which reviewed what assessment activities the NVACs have
planned for 2005 and discussed what support is needed.
The ZIMVAC is planning
to conduct an assessment this year, of which the field work will be carried
out in the second and third week of May. Preparation work for the assessment,
including selection of sites, decision on methodologies and training of
staff, is scheduled to take place in March and April. Preliminary results
should be discussed and should be available in mid June. The final consolidated
report is expected to be ready by the end of July 2005.
Disaster Risk Reduction
Capacity needs Assessment in Progress
THE Government
of Zimbabwe, through the Department of Civil Protection in conjunction
with UNDP are conducting a national Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Capacity
Needs Assessment. The assessment is being carried out within the context
of the Zimbabwe Project of Strengthening National Capacity for Disaster
Management, and a Regional Southern Africa Development Community initiative
for capacity building in DRM.
The main purpose of
the DRM capacity needs assessment is to develop and strengthen disaster
risk management capacity for the country. Specific objectives include:
- To review the effectiveness
of national Disaster Management Units and partner institutions in disaster
risk management at local and national level;
- To undertake an
inventory and review national capacity building initiatives in disaster
risk management;
- To come up with
a national action plan for capacity building interventions to enhance
disaster risk management.
The main outputs of
the process at national levels are:
- A country report
on disaster risk management initiatives, detailing resources and needs
to enhance disaster risk management capacity;
- A national workshop
report with stakeholder inputs on national risk management capacity;
- A draft national
action plan for capacity building in disaster risk management;
- A national mechanism
to lead and facilitate the process.
A consultant is currently
assisting the Department of Civil Protection to collect information from
government departments, UN agencies, NGOs, Private sector, community representatives
and academic institutions.
The exercise is expected
to last for a month and this will culminate in a national workshop for
stakeholders in risk reduction management. This will help to identify
and fill in gaps to the assessment so as to inform the final national
strategy for disaster risk management. The Department of Civil Protection
has often been criticized by members of the public mostly affected by
disasters such as floods and road traffic accidents for being slow to
respond and being ill prepared for disasters. There has also been poor
coordination by NGOs, private sector and this has caused problems in effective
response. Although the Department of Civil Protection is supposed to play
a leading role in co -ordination and planning for disaster risk reduction,
it has experienced a lot of challenges which include inadequate resources,
weak institutional and legal framework and poor coordination strategies.
The project is meant
to be a starting point in the process of capacitating various organizations
to adequately prepare for and effectively respond to disasters.
Government asks
NGOs to Report on Humanitarian Funding: UN T akes Steps to Promote Dialogue
On the 8th
of March 2005, the Herald paper reported that 30 NGOs did not account
for US$88 million mobilized through the UNDP after a Consolidated Appeal
by the Government of Zimbabwe for Humanitarian Assistance in 2003. The
paper highlighted that the NGOs were to face prosecution under the Private
Voluntary Organization (PVO) if they did not account for the money by
the 11th of March 2005.
The Resident C oordinator
a.i convened a meeting of UNCT, donors and NGOs to brief them on the critical
issues and agree on a way forward.
The NGOs and donors
identified the need to clarify that the contributions to development and
humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe is far greater than the contributions
through the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP). This meant that the majority
of NGOs on the list submitted to the Government on 20 October 2004 were
not all strictly recipients of CAP funds.
While some NGOs acknowledged
receipt of the Minister's letter, the majority listed had not received
any letter from the Ministry. Some had also received it as late as 9th
March and yet were required to comply by the 11th of March 2005.
A proposal was then
made for the NGOs to have the period of compliance with the Ministry's
request extended to 11 April 2005. It was suggested that Ministry correspondence
should be hand delivered to recipients or sent through registered mail.
A letter highlighting the views discussed in the meeting between UNCT,
NGOs and donors was compiled and delivered to the Ministry of Labour and
Social Welfare on 14th March 2005. Some government officials from various
Ministries recently visited some NGOs to check on financial reporting
procedures in addition to other issues
The Humanitarian Support
Team of the Office of the Resident Coordinator will continue to monitor
the situation and update the humanitarian community on any developments.
Newly Appointed
Resident Coordinator Joins UNCT Zimbabwe
Dr Agostinho Zacarias took office as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP
Zimbabwe Resident Representative following the departure of Mr Victor
Angelo late last year. He previously was Special Advisor on Africa in
the UN Secretary General's Office.
Dr Zacarias has a
background in geology and political science and has a Doctorate in International
Relations from the London School of Economics. He has lectured in the
US, in South Africa and in his home country of Mozambique, at the Diplomatic
School. Dr Zacarias joined UNDP as a Governance Advisor and worked in
the United Nations Secretariat Department of Political Affairs, with a
mission in Angola before joining the Office of the Special Adviser on
Africa to the UN Secretary General.
Zimbabwe Integration
of HIV and AIDS Priorities in the Humanitarian Response
The HIV/AIDS
prevalence rate in Zimbabwe is among the highest in the world. Out of
a total population of 11,6 million, an estimated 1,820,000 people are
presently living with HIV and AIDS. On average, each week 3,000 to 3,500
persons die as a result of AIDS and it is estimated that about 1,200,000
will have died from AIDS by 2005 in the country. In 1998, about 4000,000
children had been orphaned as a result of AIDS and by 2003, this figure
had grown to 761,000 (90% increase in 5 years). In 2004, alone, 160,000
children lost at least a parent, by 2005, an expected 20% of the nation's
children will be orphaned.
Of great concern is
the fact that despite the two "state of emergency" declarations
by the President, which spelt out the need for HIV positive people to
be availed with ARVs and drugs that treat opportunistic infections, only
5,000 infected persons are receiving ARV treatment when at least 270,000
are in urgent need. The first declaration was for the period of May 2002
to December 2002 while the second one was for five years, from January
2003 till December 2008.
HIV and AIDS pandemic
has contributed greatly to the complex development challenges facing Zimbabwe
today and is one of the factors contributing to underlying vulnerability.
Some of the implications on households affected and infected include:
- Reduction or loss
of income;
- Decline in productivity;
- Strain on family
savings due to medical expenses;
- Home care and
funeral cost;
- Risk of disintegration
of the family unit (orphaned children as head of the house hold);
- Higher possibility
to be exposed to all kind of abuses. The vulnerable population are living
in extreme risk environment.
Zimbabwe's response
to HIV and AIDS has been described by President Robert Mugabe as "slow,
weak and selective" (1999). In 1999, National AIDS Council (NAC)
was established. NAC's mandate is to mobilize, coordinate, facilitate
and monitor an expanded national multi -sectoral response to HIV and AIDS.
Despite talk of the need to implement a multi-sectoral response, the response
has been largely bio-medically driven by the health sector. HIV and AIDS
pandemic requires an immediate response that addresses both urgent human
suffering as well as longer-term developmental imperatives.
Humanitarian response
to HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe should be guided by the following principles
and objectives:
- To mitigate the
impact on the affected and infected individuals, families and communities;
- Reduce vulnerabilities;
- Secure livelihood
options and changing the risk environment;
- Safeguard food,
nutrition, hygiene and protection;
- Strengthen capacities
in society;
- Invest more in
disaster preparedness and mitigation;
In order to realize
the above objectives, several options are available and the Humanitarian
Community needs to consider some of the following proposed initiatives
and strategies:
- To use existing
processes (Strategic plan, Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP), Contingency
Planning, Early Warming, Advocacy) to highlight HIV/AIDS and promote
integrated response;
- Advocate for multi
sectoral and holistic response, care and prevention;
- Highlight HIV/AIDS
when involved in assessments (e g vulnerability assessment, ZimVAC,
assessment reports), i.e. use of IASC Guidelines;
- Promote mapping
a nd information dissemination on HIV/AIDS;
- Promote dissemination
and use of guidelines (with indicators adapted to context) in assessment,
monitoring and sectoral practices;
- Ensure all vulnerable
groups (including non traditional) are included in assessments.
There is need for
a multi-sectoral coordination and humanitarian response and this can be
achieved by integrating the 5 priority domains for the NAC/UN Inter-Agency
Strategic Plan in the Humanitarian Coordination Working Groups which are
Agriculture and Food Security, Education, Targeted Feeding, Health, Protection
of Vulnerable Population (Mobile, OVCs etc), Coordination and Humanitarian
Guidance as well as Water and Sanitation. The 5 priority HIV/AIDS activity
domains are, Prevention, Care, Mitigation, Coordination, Advocacy/Research.
Maternal Mortality
to be Reduced in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's
maternal mortality is set to be reduced with funding recently received
by UNFPA from the UK Department for International Development, (DFID).
Although the official maternal mortality ratio from the 1999 Zimbabwe
Demographic and Health Survey stands at 695 deaths per every 100 000 live
births, it is estimated that this ratio has risen to over a thousand deaths.
Each year more than
500,000 women, 99 percent of them in developing countries, lose their
lives to complications of pregnancy and childbirth. High fertility, poor
nutritional status, and lack of basic health services compound the problem.
In Southern Africa, these conditions are made far more challenging by
the HIV pandemic. In Zimbabwe, one of the most important indicators for
maternal health, "skilled attendance at delivery" has taken
a downward trend due to the massive exodus of skilled personnel.
Speaking at a ceremony
held to receive the US$2.7 million grant, UNFPA representative, Dr Bruce
Campbell said through DFID support, resources will be converted into strategic
action, which in turn will measurably reduce the frequency of tragic and
unnecessary maternal deaths in Zimbabwe.
A positive recent
development is that the National policy now targets the "three delays",
as the principal strategy to reduce maternal mortality: The first delay
is in deciding to seek care once complications emerge at the house -hold
level. This can be attributed to lack of information, and imbalances in
household decision-making power. UNFPA will work to improve the knowledge
level for pregnant women, as well as amongst community members in relation
to complications of pregnancy and delivery.
The second delay is
in reaching the health facility capable of handling the emergency. A recent
assessment of emergency obstetric care services in Zimbabwe revealed that
the distance travelled to a primary care centre was as much as 160 kilometres.
In response community based transport and referral schemes will be strengthened
by building upon public and/or private means of transportation.
The third delay is
in receiving clinical services once the woman has arrived at the health
facility. A recent Emergency Obstetric Care assessment showed that equipment
for delivery and repair of cervical and perineal tears is generally lacking
at both primary and secondary levels. DFID support will also be used to
strengthen technical capacity of health service providers as well to ensure
that appropriate and sufficient equipment are available at all levels.
With concerted efforts
by all players, maternal mortality in Zimbabwe can and must be reduced.
International Women's
Day Commemorations in Zimbabwe
This year's
International Women's Day coincided with the review of 10 years of implementation
of the Beijing Platform of Action. Countries met in New York from 28 February
to 12 March 2005 to review progress and achievements made, challenges
met and forward looking strategies for addressing the 12 critical areas
affecting women.
The national commemoration
of the day was held at St Mathias School, Mutasa in Manicaland on 14 March.
The event which was spearheaded by the Ministry of Gender in collaboration
with UNIFEM and UNFPA was graced by the first female Vice President of
Zimbabwe, Cde Joyce Mujuru. Thousands of women and girls from this rural
district braved the scorching heat as speaker after speaker spoke of women's
central role in the development process. One speaker said, in sharp contrast
to the status women are given in society they have always been the resource
centre of all development that has taken place in Zimbabwe. Vice President
Mujuru pledged to work for the cause of women and encouraged women to
utilize a $50 billion loan facility she has set up for women's economic
empowerment.
In the evening of
the same day UNIFEM, UNFPA and UNDP organized a symposium at the Cresta
Jameson Hotel on the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's
Rights on the Rights of Women. The event was attended by over 200 people.
Guest speakers spoke about the Protocol as a truly African instrument
that speaks of the rights of women in the African context. Although Zimbabwe
is yet to ratify the protocol, it was pointed out that the protocol can
be used as a yard stick to measure the extent to which our own laws and
policies protect the rights of women and girls. Dr Amy Tsanga from the
Southern and Eastern African Regional Centre for Women's Law pointed out
that Zimbabwe has made great strides in protecting the rights of women
for example, the amendments in inheritance laws through Administration
of Estates Amendment no. 6 of 1997 which protects the property rights
of widows, The Sexual Offences Act which criminalizes marital rape and
wilful transmission of HIV/AIDS among other things; The Deeds registry
Act which gives women the power to own immovable property in their own
right and The Labour Act which harmonizes the length of and payment for
maternity leave for women in the privateand public sectors.
Of concern to UNFPA
are Reproductive Health and Rights and Gender based violence. The UNFPA
Gender and Advocacy Officer, Ms Anna Mumba spoke about Sexual and Reproductive
Health Rights under the Protocol and pointed out that there is still more
that needs to be done to tighten implementation of laws on sexual assaults
and violations. Maternal mortality and gender based violence are both
on the increase in Zimbabwe. UNFPA in collaboration with partners in the
UNCT, government and civil society is working towards halting these current
trends and ensuring an integrated and coordinated response. In the area
of maternal health UNFPA is working to address the 3 delays in maternal
mortality. These are;
- Delay in deciding
to seek care once complications emerge at the household level
- Delay in reaching
the health facility capable of handling the emergency
- Delay in receiving
clinical services once the woman has arrived at a health facility.
Although the efforts
made so far are commendable, more still needs to be done in all the critical
areas of women's lives.
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