Cash Assistance in Zimbabwe: A Driving Force Behind the Tongogara Refugee Settlement’s Local Economy
Like any other economy in the world, the retail business in Tongogara is stiffly competitive, and basic economic principles apply.
WFP Zimbabwe/Tatenda Macheka
It is a hot and windy afternoon at Tongogara Refugee Settlement, some 420 kilometres southeast of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. Residents queue at a local tuck shop, Kaboto, to buy their monthly groceries. Various products are stacked on the wooden shelves however dried fish, rice, cooking oil, and potatoes are in high demand.
“What can I give you today, my brother?” Eric Tuyizere, a 23-year-old shopkeeper, asks a customer.
Eric and his family fled conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) when he was still very young. After completing his studies in maths, accounting, and computer science at a local high school in Zimbabwe, he stepped in to help his mother with the family business, a local tuck shop, following his father’s death.
“When the refugees receive their entitlement from the World Food Programme (WFP), business picks up for us,” says Eric. “Demand for various goods spikes, and we are quite busy.”
WFP has supported refugees in Zimbabwe since January 2015, when the settlement population was a little over 5,000 inhabitants. The settlement has since grown, and WFP now assists more than 13,000 refugees with cash vouchers and food every month.
To complement the Government of Zimbabwe’s 13.5 kg of maize meal to each person every month, funding from USAID enables WFP to deliver US$7 in cash vouchers, redeemable at selected retailers. The cash transfers have empowered the community by giving them the choice of how to address their essential needs through local markets while creating employment within the community.
“My three brothers and I have already needed to employ people,” shares Eric. “They help us with the day-to-day running of one of the busiest shops in the settlement.
“When we left the DRC, which we still call home, we never thought we would run a business like this,” said Eric. “We treat our customers well by stocking what they ask for, giving credit to loyal customers and sometimes, on special days, we give our customers discounts.”
Like any other economy in the world, the retail business in Tongogara is stiffly competitive, and basic economic principles apply. There are fifteen medium-sized retailers, six large retailers, and seventy-nine tuck shops.
The green vegetable market comprises of fifty-seven food stalls, surrounded by eight butcheries and six restaurants. All these shops provide services to the settlement’s residents and extend to the surrounding host community.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) works closely with the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure protection and assistance to refugees and asylum seekers in Zimbabwe. This includes registration and social protection, such as protecting children and persons with specific needs and providing shelter, educational supplies, clean water, and sanitation.
The settlement is home to people who have fled war, conflict and unrest across the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa. Many refugees escaped the conflict with the few belongings they could carry and life skills, which they now use to keep their hopes alive.
In partnership with WFP, the refugee agency is dedicated to expanding and diversifying income-generating projects to enhance the resilience of settlement residents. The Government of Zimbabwe has consistently supported the refugees, contributing in-kind assistance such as maize meal. The support from USAID offers refugees the dignity of choice, infuses money into local economies and helps refugees afford items such as medicines and toiletries.
WFP works with governments and other partners to create sustainable change. As the world’s largest provider of humanitarian cash transfers, WFP supports governments and helps to develop national payment systems to boost social safety nets.
With continued funding, WFP can help sustain its support for the refugee community in Tongogara in 2024 and beyond.
Read more about WFP’s work in Zimbabwe here.
