Ramping up assistance to COVID-19 affected households in urban areas

The new 30-day national lockdown announced by Government on 2 January as a measure to slow the surge in COVID-19 cases, is currently hitting Zimbabweans living in cities and urban areas hard. Many people who rely on the informal sector have not been able to operate and generate any income. Zimbabwe has a large informal sector with individuals who depend on what they make each day for survival.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has allocated £4 million (approx. US$5.4 million) to support 110,000 food insecure people living in eight urban areas. The programme implemented by the UN’s World Food Programme will deliver a monthly cash transfers or electronic vouchers which can be redeemed in supermarkets.

The targeted people for the assistance include elderly, people with disabilities and child-headed households and families severely impacted by Covid-19,

One of the beneficiaries, Elsy a widowed grandmother from Masvingo said the support is helping her to look after her grandchildren. “This support is not for me alone, but it has gone as far as my grandchildren, this is how important it is,” she added.