3.8Million In Need Of Food Aid

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare Dr Simon Masanga has said 3,8 million Zimbabweans are in need of food aid.

Giving an update to TechnoMag, Permanent Secretary Dr Masanga responded to questions on the Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy (FDMS?)

Question 1
What is the current state of the Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy. What are we doing?
Answer: All provinces are now in the process of registration of beneficiaries. As soon as they are done with , distribution at ward level will commence henceforth. Meanwhile, Government continues to reach out to those in distress with food assistance.

Question 2
What exactly is the job of the enumerators?
Answer: Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare is understaffed, the enumerators were recruited to assist with data capturing during registration of beneficiaries under the FDMS. The enumerators are under the supervision of the respective District Social Development Officer, they will also assist during the mop up program to make sure noone in need of food assistance is left out

Question 3
With enumerators in place, what role then does the local leadership like Chiefs play?
Answer: Traditional Leaders, who include Chiefs, Headmen and Village Heads are the gatekeepers of any community hence are the entry point for any programme. In the FDMS, Traditional Leaders assist in the mobilization of communities, calling for meetings, assist in the identification as well as targeting of eligible beneficiaries. In addition, they also play a pivotal role in manning the Help desk at every Food Distribution Point and handling of grievances in collaboration with members of the Drought Relief Committees.

Question 4
October is almost over, how soon do you think the enumerators can finish their job and the Ministry start giving out grain?
Answer: Guided and following the procurement processes which now require observation of due diligence at its highest level, grain distribution is set to commence distributions early November. However, Government has been distributing 15,000mt of grain to those people in distress across the country whilst logistics to embark on a fully fledged distribution process are being finalized.

Question 5
Is there a provision for those that feel they need food assistance to make their case heard somewhere apart from being identified by enumerators?
Answer: The FDMS Manual clearly states that identification of eligible food insecure people is done through community targeting which is undergoing at the present moment. At a village assembly, the community members rank themselves hence it should be well noted that enumerators do not identify any food insecure people, but to register those who would have been identified by the community. If there is no quorum of about 80% of that community present during the selection of eligible beneficiaries, the meeting will be called off and be convened later when there is a fair representation of the community. In extenuating circumstances such as distress calls, the Ministry has district offices across the country where those in need are free to approach them and present their case as well as any District Drought Relief Committee members.