20 years of WFP in Zimbabwe (part 2)
As the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) marks its 20th anniversary in Zimbabwe, we embark on a journey across time with the country directors that have served in the Southern African nation.
In 2017, WFP’s operation in Zimbabwe was one of the first to roll-out a five-year Country Strategic Plan. “WFP was undergoing the most fundamental change in its 50-year history. Instead of just saving lives, we wanted to change lives and achieve Zero Hunger by 2030,” explains Eddie Rowe, the country director at the time.
During his time, Zimbabwe faced a series of catastrophic natural disasters, including droughts and cyclones. “I’ve worked in many hardship operations, but the resilience of the average Zimbabwean is unimaginable. I saw first-hand how communities would think out-of-the-box to survive. They kept on hoping that someday their lives would change,” says Eddie. “To ensure that there was food on their tables, they would sacrifice having daily meals to ensure that their children went to school. That type of resilience among communities across the country was for me something that stood out. Zimbabweans refuse to accept failure,” he settles.
In March 2019, cyclone Idai struck the eastern highlands claiming more than 200 lives and devastating livelihoods. WFP immediately launched a response, providing live-saving support to affected communities. Some 1.8 million people were reached with emergency food assistance but, most importantly, support was combined with infrastructure recovery, directly benefitting close to 6,000 households and renewing livelihoods. “What we saw during Cyclone Idai is how urgent we need to address climate change. People in the affected areas of Chimanimani and Chipinge lost their properties, and their fields were swept away. They were left exposed,” remembers Eddie.
Francesca Erdelmann was no stranger to WFP’s work in Zimbabwe when she was appointed country director in 2020. She had supported the operation in its early days, serving as a nutrition and HIV advisor at the regional bureau in Johannesburg, and commends improvements in chronic malnutrition as well as social protection efforts.
“The Government pivoted from WFP’s emergency school meals since the early 2000s to a national school feeding programme. Zimbabwe now wants to roll-out a home-grown approach and we’re here to support,” explains Francesca.
At the onset of the Decade of Action with only 10 years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals), and with a National Development Strategy now firmly in place, it was clear that extreme weather and climate-related disasters were standing in the way of Zimbabweans eradicating hunger. WFP made bold efforts to improve people’s ability to adapt.
“Smallholder farmers are the cornerstone of sustainable food systems. Against the backdrop of a changing climate, we are helping farming families to adopt climate-smart agriculture techniques, access insurance and connect to markets. If we spark interest, innovation and a business approach, young farmers will lead the change, contributing to improved food systems”, she says.
In cities, hunger has also been on the rise over the last years. WFP has been a pioneer in collaborating with the Government to identify and target the people most in need of social assistance, particularly at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ongoing activities include cash-based assistance to extremely vulnerable households and promoting entrepreneurship, particularly among young people.
Twenty years after opening an operation in Zimbabwe, WFP continues assisting vulnerable people to pursue their life and livelihood aspirations and collaborating with Government to achieve its sustainable development goals, enabling national institutions along the way. This is done in partnership with other UN agencies, donors, NGOs, academia and the private sector. Country Directors have provided direction, but it’s the national and international staff who have made those 20 years of operations possible. WFP will continue to stand alongside Zimbabweans, so that their country can once again become the breadbasket of Southern Africa.
About Zimbabwe: In June 2022, Zimbabwe was added to the list of Hunger Hotspots due to an erratic rainfall season and consequent drop in expected crop production (which declined by nearly 50 percent for smallholder farmers as compared to last year), combined with the effects of persistently high inflation that is the highest in the world.
