World Food Programme Zimbabwe: Country Strategic Plan (CSP) Update #47, 14 June 2021

Highlights

• WFP’s Food Assistance for Assets Programme commenced in 12 districts. Asset building and rehabilitation efforts have begun.

• WFP Zimbabwe is currently formulating the 2nd generation Country Strategic Plan.

Spotlight: WFP Supports Refugees at Tongogara Refugee Camp

More than 15,910 refugees are now living in Zimbabwe’s Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge. A partnership between the World Food Programme and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has helped 13,702 of them persevere and rebuild their lives.

For Catharine, almost 20 years have gone by since she fled Rwanda. “It’s been almost twenty years now that I’ve been in Zimbabwe,” she said, “I gave birth most of my children here, they actually like Zimbabwean food…and they now they even speak Shona,” However, Catherine misses home. “There is no place like home…But, Zimbabwe has become our new home. The only thing I carried from Rwanda are my farming skills, and I’m glad I can use them here. They help me earn an income to complement the support we get from WFP.” she said.

WFP, UNHCR, Terre Des Hommes Italia and Goal International have provided approximately 400 refugee households with farming inputs to use on the small plots of land provided to them by the Government of Zimbabwe. In total, TRC holds 25 hectares of irrigated land. Each household has been allotted 500 square metres to cultivate.

Refugees are assisted with vegetable seed packs so they can grow an assortment of produce on this land each year. They primarily grow bananas, sugar beans and potatoes. Additionally, this land is used for poultry and pig farming projects in the camp.

Catharine primarily grows maize; however, she hasn’t gotten used to eating it. She says she grows it to sell it to others living in the TRC community. “I grow maize and sell it informally in nearby communities. I also grow bananas, potatoes and casava for my family,” she said, “We are more than refugees; we are food producers. I’m glad to have the opportunity to farm.“ WFP began providing food assistance to TRC in January 2015 when the population at the camp reached 5,000. Initially, in-kind assistance was distributed. However, in January 2016, WFP shifted to provide cash-based transfers so refugees could make their own purchasing decisions. In November 2019, due to challenges faced in obtaining sufficient bond notes, in-kind assistance was once again provided. However, as of September 2021, TRC will once again be receiving cash-based transfers.

WFP supports TRC alongside UNHCR, which is focused on providing shelter; water and sanitation; and educational supplies. The refugee agency is also committed to expanding and diversifying income-generating projects to increase the resilience of those living in the camp.

Source: World Food Programme