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Zimbabwe
Humanitarian Situation Report
The
UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator’s Bi-Monthly Report
December 10, 2002
Visit of
UN Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa
Stephen
Lewis, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in
Africa, visited Zimbabwe from 4 to 8 December 2002. His message
was that unless there is an urgent and effective response to HIV/AIDS
in the region, entire societies may unravel.
The Envoy held
a meeting with NGOs to discuss operational requirements in the context
of the humanitarian situation and HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe. NGOS raised
their concerns pertaining to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These include:
- Shortage
and high cost of anti-retroviral drugs;
- Ensuring
that food interventions are sensitive to the needs of children,
and that they do not fall through the safety net;
- Need for
training of food distributors and other high-risk groups threatening
the vulnerable population using lessons in other places like Sudan,
where awareness training is given to WFP truck drivers;
- Support to
extended family members;
- Under-funding
of Orphan Support Programmes;
- Attrition
and need for training of new staff;
- Lack of Voluntary
Counselling Centres, as a means of prevention.
During the visit,
the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator hosted a workshop on HIV/AIDS issues,
attended by government Ministers, donors, NGOs and UN agencies,
to underline how the HIV/AIDS pandemic exacerbates the humanitarian
crisis and erodes recovery capacity. It was agreed that core interventions
need to be defined within the revised CAP; HIV/AIDS should be mainstreamed
into all programming; co-ordination and advocacy in printed and
electronic media prioritised; resource mobilization improved; and
the existing institutions/structures (District AIDS Action Committees)
strengthened. The document from the workshop is available, upon
request, from the RRU.
HIV/AIDS
Special Envoy visits Masvingo
The
Special Envoy and his delegation visited Bikita and Chiredzi Districts
in Masvingo Province. He held meetings with the provincial and district
administration and visited various humanitarian and HIV/AIDS initiatives
being undertaken in the province. He noted that Silveira Mission
hospital in Bikita is undertaking community home based care. 175
volunteers, who offer basic management of patients at home, have
already been trained and Aids Action Committees at ward and village
levels have been formed. This has led to change in behaviour and
has reduced stigma in the community. The Envoy noted the following
problems:
- Insufficient
number of health centres;
- Shortage
of personnel;
- Chronic illnesses
in resettled areas: diarrhoea, respiratory ailments, malaria problems,
malnutrition in all age groups, bilharzia and skin problems;
- Shortage
of drugs to treat opportunistic infections;
- Insufficient
counselling facilities for the Preventing Mother to Child Transmission
Programme;
- Lack of transport;
- Increased
cost of drugs and basic items;
- Insufficient
school coverage by supplementary feeding programmes;
- Lack of supplementary
feeding for children not in school;
- Lack of basic
items like blankets, gloves and disinfectants for home based caregivers;
and the
- Increasing
number of child headed families and children orphaned by AIDS.
ZIMVAC vulnerability
assessment underway
An
emergency vulnerability assessment is underway to update findings
from August regarding the numbers and locations of people in need
of food. The assessment focuses on household access to food purchases,
availability of food on the market and people's coping strategies.
There will be an evaluation of prospects for the 2002/2003 agricultural
season. The assessment is co-ordinated by SADC through the Zimbabwe
Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC) which comprises UN Agencies,
NGOs and FEWS-Net. Over 60 sample sites representative of Zimbabwe's
food economy zones have been selected. Preliminary results are expected
in by end of December 2002.
WFP and IPs
scale-up programme of delivery
In
November WFP distributed 19,257MT of food to 1,530,541 beneficiaries
in the country.
WFP and its
implementing partners are continuing to expand their capacity to
meet delivery of planned quantities under the food-aid programme.
WFP intends to distribute food in more than 40 districts, if sufficient
supplies are received. In response to likely pipeline constraints
this month, WFP and partners have agreed to reduce cereal rations.
However, the Agency expects sufficient supplies of pulses and corn-soya
blend to be available to add to the food basket for the first time
in several months.
WFP has been
carrying out training sessions and refresher courses during the
past two weeks for field monitors and logistics staff working for
its NGO implementing partners. The attached map (see page 3) shows
the allocation of districts to the implementing partners.
Food security
situation getting worse
The
UN Country Team field mission (25/11/02 to 29/11/02) on land and
environment issues noted that in all the provinces visited (Midlands,
Matebeleland North and South, Masvingo, Manicaland and Mashonaland
East), demand for food far exceeds supply. In Masvingo Province
it was reported that about 70MT/day of maize grain are received,
when 500MT/day is required to support the population. Manicaland
Province receives 300MT/day, when it requires 900MT/day. In some
cases, families indicated that they purchase food on the open market
at a comparatively high price (if even available) of Z$175/kg, compared
to the subsidised price of Z$18/kg.
In Gwanda District,
some families in A1 resettlement schemes reported that they had
not received food from GMB for the past 3 months. Acute food shortage
has been indicated in the new resettlement areas of Chiredzi, due
to the influx of people from communal areas.
During the field
visit (6 December) by the HIV/AIDS Special Envoy to a food distribution
site in Bikita District, it was noted that out of a target of 118,000
people, only 68,288 have been reached. There were complaints of
serious food shortage: food for 60 people was being distributed
to 200 to ensure the feeding of all those in need. As a result,
food, which was supposed to last one month, lasted only 8 days.
2002/2003
agricultural season
The
2002/03 rainy season has started slowly. Earlier rains in November
have become a prolonged dry spell, wilting any recently planted
crops. The rainy season progression is monitored and reported by
the Zimbabwe Meteorological Services and the National Early Warning
Unit.
FAO’s analysis
indicates that an extended dryness will cause irreversible deterioration
and necessitate replanting, which will, in turn, be hampered in
many cases by lack of available seed and an overall shortage of
draft power.
Seed Delivery
The
UNCT field mission noted that the delivery of seed and fertilisers
has been poor in the visited areas. In one of the resettlement areas
in Midlands Province, 56 families out 179 had received only 10kg
of seed, each. In most cases the maize seed supplied is not suitable
for the areas in which they are distributed: in Regions IV and V,
farmers have received long season maize variety, while they need
the short season variety, or more suitably millets and sorghum.
FAO reports
that deliveries of seed to designated Extended Delivery Points is
almost complete. NGO seed deliveries are also in progress and in
many areas complete, while government distributions through the
GMB credit scheme are underway. FAO has sponsored three seed fairs,
which were held by Catholic Relief Services and its implementing
partner Community Technology Development Trust from 4 December to
6 December in Manicaland Province.
FAO funding
The
Dutch Government has recently allocated US$2 million for FAO programmes
in Southern Africa, of which Zimbabwe will receive about US$760,000,
targeted towards foot and mouth disease and restoration of household
assets of small livestock and poultry. The Agency also reports that
efforts are underway to secure funding for interventions of ammonium
nitrate fertiliser for households in areas less affected by drought.
Supplementary
feeding programme yield promising results
The
UNCT mission reports that Governors, provincial and district officials
and the communal areas visited appreciate NGO supplementary feeding
programmes. UNICEF reports that children in Mt. Darwin District
are gaining weight due to the supplementary feeding programme there.
Information on weight-for-age measurements taken at the feeding
points shows marked improvement.
Recent UNICEF
field monitoring visits report some districts having severe water
shortages at feeding points. In response the Agency intends to support
rehabilitation of boreholes in the most affected wards.
Shortages of
transport and fuel in Mt Darwin and Chirumhanzu project districts
have affected distribution of supplies. Field monitors observed
that there are problems getting enough vehicles and fuel to distribute
food at sub-district level because of competing demands for distribution
of agriculture inputs in time for the planting season
UNICEF supporting
HIV/AIDS and child protection activities
UNICEF
indicated that it is supporting 3 NGOs in 9 districts to accelerate
AIDS prevention activities for young people. Projects include peer
education and counselling, development of youth friendly initiatives,
provision of water and sanitation for child and grandparent headed
families, provision of bedding/ITNs for child headed families and
strengthening monitoring systems for young people in HIV/AIDS prevention,
mitigation and care initiatives. The Agency is also procuring home-based
care kits for children with AIDS.
UNICEF Zimbabwe
supported the participation of a Zimbabwe contingent at the 2002
Regional Workshop on Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) held
in Namibia. Effective response to the challenges faced by OVCs will
require huge resources. In this regard, the workshop recommended
that governments should allocate more human and financial resources,
while co-ordination and partnership building were identified as
prerequisites for effective response. The workshop culminated in
a call for the implementation of the National Orphan Care policy
and development of a National Plan of Action for OVCs. The need
to adjust existing government policies and orphan care programmes
to reflect the issues affecting orphans and vulnerable children
were also underscored.
Cholera outbreak
re-surfaces
In
response to the recent cholera outbreak, UNICEF supplied 3 water
bowsers and 42,000 water treatment tablets to cholera affected areas
in Beitbridge. WHO has reported that Z$4,932,000 has been provided
to purchase drugs and medical supplies in the area. The number of
cholera cases in Beitbridge District has risen to 237, with 2 deaths
reported as of 8 December 2002. Another cholera outbreak has been
reported in Bikita District, where 51 cases and 8 deaths have been
reported as of 1st December 2002. UNICEF is supporting
cholera control activities in Bikita District by rehabilitating
water supplies, improving sanitation, and conducting community health
and hygiene education.
Livestock
condition
The
condition of livestock varies between provinces. Tick-borne diseases
were reported in Mashonaland East, and parts of Manicaland and Masvingo
due to lack of dipping facilities and chemicals. The UNCT field
mission noted that in agro-ecological regions III and IV of Masvingo,
Manicaland and Mashonaland East the condition of livestock is fair.
In Matebeleland South, animals in the resettlement areas are generally
in good condition, but in the communal lands farmers are losing
animals due to lack of pastures and water. There were reports of
a single family losing up to 17 to 20 head of cattle. It was also
observed that veldt fires have reduced pastures. The concern is
that if there is not sufficient rain, pastures will be bare by April/May
2003 so contingency plans for dealing with the national herd need
to be established immediately.
UN Humanitarian
Co-ordinator’s Office receives contributions
For
the year 2003, ECHO has committed €1.2 million to support the Relief
and Recovery Unit in the Office of the Humanitarian Co-ordinator.
As well, the United Kingdom (DfID) will contribute US$400,000, the
United States (USAID) US$482,000, Sweden (SIDA) US$350,000, Norway
(NORAD) US$200,000 and Canada (CIDA) US$100,000. Additionally the
EC will be funding a senior humanitarian officer in the RRU, and
the Netherlands is contributing for three UN volunteers.
Calendar
of Humanitarian Assistance Co-ordination Meetings, Working Groups
and Activities
- 2-14/12 ECHO
Regional Support Mission on multi-sectoral programme assessment
- 11/12 Planning
Meeting, WFP Pilot Urban Programme: contact Darlington Sarupinda,
WFP
- 12/12 Child
Protection WG: contact M. Huijbregts, UNICEF
- 12/12 Training
on the UN Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP), plus initial review
of the Zimbabwe CAP contact M. Grogan, RRU 17/12 NGO Humanitarian
Briefing Meeting: contact M. Grogan, RRU
- 18/12 Food
Aid Co-ordination Meeting: contact T. Hoerz, WFP
- 19/12 Nutrition
WG: contact M. Osman, UNICEF
- 19/12 WFP
Donor Meeting: contact M. Walker, WFP
- 06/01 Humanitarian
Co-ordinator's meeting with representatives of GoZ and the international
community: contact HC's Office
- 07/01 Urban
Vulnerability Assessment WG: contact E. Vhurumuku, FEWS-Net
For additional
information or comments, please contact the United Nations Relief
and Recovery Unit, Harare Tel: +263 4 792681, ext. 207 or e-mail:
rru.zw@undp.org
This Situation
Report can be accessed on the Web at: www.reliefweb.int
then click on "by country", then click on "Zimbabwe"
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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