Story by Abigirl Tembo, Health Editor
In a bid to alleviate food insecurity in urban areas, government has launched a cash transfer programme to provide vital support to vulnerable households.
To mitigate the impact of the El Nino-induced drought on urban livelihoods, the targeted initiative informed by the ZIMLAC household survey, will support 58,000 households in Bulawayo.
The Permanent Secretary for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mr Paul Nyoni highlighted the programme’s scientific approach.
He said the focus is on ensuring aid reaches the most vulnerable, with enumerators currently conducting house visits to collect data and identify beneficiaries.
“So, in urban areas, the decision was that the beneficiaries would receive cash transfers just as the rural areas receive support in the form of grain. So the decision to go cash transfers was largely informed by the need to support urban economies as well. As you know, we have an ecosystem of millers, wholesalers, retailers. So transferring cash to urbanites allows them to also increase aggregate demand in the market, which also increases employment with all the other ripple effects. So that is the basis for the urban cash transfers.
“There was the household surveys that had done ZIMLAC, where the government working with stakeholders, development partners, goes out to actually check on the state of comfort really in the economy in terms of how people are living, what they can afford and not afford, what is their food security primarily, at any time. So that gave us the data, that sort of gave us a rough estimate of the numbers that would require that support. For instance, for Bulawayo Metropolitan, the report said 41 percent of the population are food insecure. So you are then looking at the whole population and thinking, four out of ten need the support of government. So that is what we used, that scientific approach to then identify the people through a very extensive survey and data collection process, which goes to every household in order to map the circumstances. 41 percent translates to 219,000 people in Bulawayo and we’ve calculated using the Zimstat figures that is just over 58,000 households using the alpha register therein. So if we get to 58,000 households, we would believe we would be somewhere around 219,000 people. So 219,000 people are supposed to receive this support out of the 659,000 people that are in Bulawayo as per the 2022 census,” he said.
Residents are grateful for the programme, citing its impact on their food security well-being.
Catherine Nyathi from Gwabalanda said, “I am self-employed and the economic situation is very difficult at the moment. We are not earning as much as we used to. I stay with my mother and three children and my husband. Even though we both try to bring food to the table, it is difficult to make ends meet. We have to pay rent, school fees and many other expenses and still find nutritious food for the family and this has been difficult. We can only get food to fill the stomach but rarely do we get a balanced meal. We are happy that this initiative has been brought to us by the government and we believe it will help us to feed our families.”
Gogo Muriel Dube from tge same area wheighed in, “I am a widow and pensioner and I live with my 99-year-old mother who is blind and cannot walk and four grandchildren. We are surviving on my paltry pension but it is not enough especially to get the special diet that my mother needs. She also needs medication. I am hoping to get into the programme so that it can help me to provide adequate food for my mother.”
Another resident Felix Mpofu Chidori said, “I stay with my sister who has a mental health challenges. Five children and two nieces who were orphaned. I am the only one who provides for the family selling bales of clothes and business has been low. I cannot afford to take my children to school, pay for medication for myself and my sister as well as providing food for them. I am looking forward to getting the assistance from government especially in terms of food. We really have no food so this programme will save us.”
Mirroring the government’s rural food deficit mitigation strategy, the urban cash for cereal programme adopts a similar targeting approach, focusing on vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, child-headed households, and the elderly, to ensure support reaches those who need it most.
