WFP mobile money transfers change urban lives in Zimbabwe
Hannah Barry meets the residents of Epworth, one of the country’s poorest settlements, in the south-east of Harare
Zimbabwe is in the midst of its worst hunger crisis in over a decade, with unprecedented levels of humanitarian need across the country. Approximately 8 million people are severely food insecure, with more than 2.2 million of them living in urban areas.
For only the second time in its history, the World Food Programme (WFP) in Zimbabwe has been providing food assistance to a limited number of vulnerable urban households. Previously, assessments had largely focused on food needs in rural areas. However, this year’s drought, compounded by inflation and rising food costs, has put more urban families at risk of hunger than ever before.
With seed funding provided by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), and additional support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), WFP initiated a monthly mobile cash transfer programme in 2019. In partnership with DanChurchAid, WFP was able to successfully support some 19,000 urban residents in Epworth — one of Zimbabwe’s poorest settlements.
Each transaction provides households with the equivalent of US$9 per family member, based on market- monitoring reports that take into account the price of basic food commodities in urban areas. The money is converted into local currency (the Zimbabwe dollar, known as RTGS in digital form) so that it can be used to make purchases at local markets.
The successful implementation of the urban assistance pilot programme and lessons learned, coupled with the increasing needs of civilians, has prompted WFP to scale up its urban response in 2020. Funding from DFID, under the Zimbabwe Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (ZHARP), will allow WFP to reach 100,000 people in urban communities across 8 domains.
During a recent visit to Epworth with ECHO and DFID, we saw first-hand the incredible challenges faced by recipients who live in extreme poverty, and how crucial WFP cash assistance is to their survival. Yet, more importantly, our visit showed us how resilient residents have been in the wake of this relentless and unforgiving food crisis.
These are their stories:
VICTORIA stands in front of her urban garden plot, where she grows a variety of vegetables for household consumption. Sometimes she tries to sell tomatoes on the street for extra income, but says it is getting increasingly difficult to find customers.
“It has been a very hard year. People are struggling.”
Her garden looks green now, but just two weeks ago she feared nothing would grow. The rainy season in Zimbabwe is nearly three months overdue. The ongoing drought threatens to devastate the second of two consecutive cropping seasons, and millions of small-scale farmers like Victoria have been affected. Epworth had some rain over the past few months; however, Victoria says, the first half of her crop for this year has already been lost.
She hopes that what she can salvage will be enough to feed her three-year-old grandson, whom she started caring for when her daughter passed away soon after giving birth. Feeding one’s family is currently the biggest priority for most people living in Zimbabwe, yet it is increasingly becoming a challenge.
Drought has drastically reduced the availability of foods in local markets. Even when food is available, many urban residents cannot afford to buy it — and in some cases, shop owners can no longer afford to stock it.
MUFADZWA spoke with us from his storefront in Epworth, where he sells basic food staples such as cooking oil and cereals. With food prices steadily increasing — in some areas on a daily basis — he finds it difficult to determine which commodities he should choose to stock.
Recently, the Government of Zimbabwe intervened to regulate the market price of mealie-meal, a cereal staple food. Mufadzwa and other retailers in Zimbabwe face a fine if they are caught selling it for any more than $50 ZWL. However, due to increased demand and a shortage of maize millers, large quantities of mealie-meal are being diverted by suppliers to the black market. There, they sell for $70–100 ZWL a bag. Despite his customers requesting mealie-meal from his store, Mufadzwa says he can no longer sell the product for profit.
In this way, the black market has come to control the price of basic commodities, putting them further out of reach from Zimbabwe’s urban poor. Mufadzwa hopes that the economy, and food prices with it, will one day stabilize so that he can go back to earning decent money by legally selling his goods.
TENDAI is a mother of four and a beneficiary of monthly mobile cash transfers from WFP. She says that rising food prices continue to be a challenge for those living in urban areas. While rural dwellers are bearing the brunt of the prolonged drought, it is those living in high-density urban hubs that are feeling the effects of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis.
Before she received food assistance from WFP, Tendai says she could not afford to feed her family. She recalls only being able to purchase a single cup of rice to be split between six people. Now, she receives the equivalent of US$54 a month — which is significantly more than the ZWL $200 she may have been able to make from menial jobs. With increased purchasing power, Tendai now tries to buy in bulk when prices are somewhat stable.
“At least now I don’t have to rely on gifts or beg from neighbours. My children are well fed.”
However, not all of the family’s needs can be met — neither of Tendai’s two school-aged children attend class as the fees are too expensive. Tendai says she tries to save what she can, but it is never enough.
Last month, her family home collapsed during heavy rains, with parts of Epworth prone to flash floods amidst extreme weather conditions. Her family was forced to move and now she must pay rent — another expense on top of an already daunting list.
Tearing up, Tendai says providing for her family has been very difficult this year, as she was also diagnosed with a chronic illness. Despite the challenges she and her family continue to face, Tendai says she remains grateful that at least now she can eat.
“Thanks to this WFP programme, food is no longer a problem to worry about.”
SHINGIRAI is a mother of two and a recipient of WFP cash assistance in Epworth. Neither of her children, aged seven and 14, attend school because she cannot afford it. Investing in education is no longer a priority in their house, as the meagre amount of money her family does make is used to purchase food and medicine for survival.
Shingirai’s youngest son is ill, and she stays home to care for him. As a result, she is not able to participate in any income-generating activities. Her husband works odd jobs in construction, making 35–40 RTGS (approximately US$1.50) a day. Once a month, she receives a mobile money transfer equivalent to US$37 from WFP.
Shingirai says that her mobile cash transfer has helped her family significantly, as it allows her to buy staple foods such as cooking oil, mealie-meal and rice from local markets. However, Shingirai adds that things are still difficult, as price fluctuations make it nearly impossible for her to budget.
Also, she is often charged an additional 40 percent to use mobile money instead of cash at small retail outlets such as Mufadzwa’s, due to the different exchange rates for each form of Zimbabwean currency. Due to the chronic shortage of cash in the country, hard currency is now worth more than mobile money, which has consequently decreased in value. The cash crunch has also impeded WFP’s ability to provide monetary assistance to urban residents in any other way.
Accessing healthcare for Shingirai’s son is also a challenge, but she is glad that at least now she has the money to provide decent meals for him. Despite her setbacks, Shingirai says WFP has made a positive change in her family’s life.
“All I want to say is thank you so much.”
WFP is urgently requesting funds to scale-up its Lean Season Assistance programme, so it can provide 4.1 million people with life-saving food assistance.
US$293 million is needed to reach this target, of which currently only 30 percent has been secured. US$205 million is still needed to meet the full response plan, which would include an additional 100,000 urban residents receiving cash-based assistance.
You can read more here about WFP’s work in Zimbabwe.
