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Community Assessment of the Food Situation in Zimbabwe June/July 2002: FULL REPORT
National NGO Food Security Network (FOSENET)
August 14, 2002

View the summary

"Starvation has no political party"
Mat South

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Background
In March 2002 a number of National NGOs viewed the growing food crisis with concern, and formed a network to share experience, views and resources on a response. This National NGO Food Security Network (FOSENET) involves 24 organisations that collectively cover ALL districts of Zimbabwe, and all types of communities.

FOSENET members subscribe that food distribution in Zimbabwe must be based on a platform of ethical principles that derive from international humanitarian law, viz:

  • The right to life with dignity and the duty not to withhold or frustrate the provision of life saving assistance;
  • The obligation of states and other parties to agree to the provision of humanitarian and impartial assistance when the civilian population lacks essential supplies;
  • Relief not to bring unintended advantage to one or more parties nor to further any partisan position;
  • The management and distribution of food and other relief with based purely on criteria of need and not on partisan grounds, and without adverse distinction of any kind;
  • Respect for community values of solidarity, dignity and peace and of community culture.

FOSENET Monitoring
As one of its functions FOSENET is monitoring food needs, availability and access through NGOs based within districts and through community based monitors. Monthly reports from all areas of the country are compiled by FOSENET to provide a monthly situation assessment of food security and access to enhance an ethical, effective and community focused response to the food situation.

FOSENET is conscious of the need to ensure and constantly improve on data quality and validity. Data quality is being improved throughout the next three months through training, supervision and verification cross checks. One of the validity checks is through the double reporting from the same areas from both NGOs and community based monitors. A second measure is through verification from field visits. A third measure is through subjecting the information to peer review from those involved with relief work, including the UN, to enable feedback on differences found and follow up verification.

In this first round, the NGO monitoring was being piloted and was thus not available for substantive reporting. Training of community based and NGO monitors is still being implemented as an ongoing programme for the next three months. Follow up through field visits is being set up and has not been implemented with this first round of reporting.

As a result the report does not provide detailed evidence by district as the data quality does not yet support this level of reporting. Where district evidence is raised this is done to signal issues for follow up verification and investigation, through both FOSENET and the wider UN, international and national network of organisations working on food security and relief. FOSENET will actively follow these issues up within these frameworks. The evidence presented with greater certainty is that reported from a large share of districts. The report for July can thus only signal broad issues. More detailed assessments will be provided in future reports. Specific cases of concern will be followed up directly.

This summary provides the report of the community based monitoring for June/July 2002. Future reports will provide both community and NGO based monitoring cross checking for cross-validation between sources. Areas of concern are flagged for follow up verification and action.

Follow up queries and feedback to: FOSENET, Box CY2720, Causeway, Harare - fosenet@mweb.co.zw

Visit the FOSENET fact sheet

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