CLOUDINE MATOLA
The government of Japan has donated US$1.36m to the United Nations World Food Programme, which will go towards assisting vulnerable families in Zimbabwe during the 2024/25 lean season, Business Times can report.
Most households may not have enough food, and hunger is more common as a result of the El Nino phenomena.
Speaking at the signing ceremony this week in the capital Harare, WPF Zimbabwe representative and country director Francesca Erdelman said the donation is going to help provide food assistance to the vulnerable people.
“Today we are here to recognise and appreciate the support and partnership of the government of Japan through their contribution of US$1.360m towards the 2024/25 lean season assistance that will significantly impact the lives of those in need”, she said.
Erdelmann added that the contribution will allow the WFP to assist more than 40 000 people over three months with cereals, pulses and vegetable oil.
She also said, most vulnerable communities will not have enough food to feed their families between January and March.
“The lean season which typically starts in October and reaches its peak between January and March, is a time when communities particularly in rural areas do not have enough food to feed themselves,
“In this current season, according to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment 2.7m people in rural Zimbabwe are cereal insecure. The lean season that starts at the end of this year could see more people requiring food assistance due to the impact of El Nino,” she said.
Shinichi Yamanaka, the Japanese ambassador to Zimbabwe, expressed his happiness at signing the deal .
“Since 2022, the international trade of grains and fertilizers have been affected by the Ukraine conflict and other factors, threatening the food security of many countries. Grain and fertilizer prices also greatly increased here in Zimbabwe.
“And the effects of climate change are also increasing in scale every year. Disasters such as drought, heat waves, heavy rain and floods have become apparent in countries around the world.
“Zimbabwe has not been spared either with drought and mid-season dry spells becoming more frequent. And this year, we are in the middle of a drought crisis,” he said.
Japan has been supporting WPF since 2019 and to date they have contributed US$25.5m.
