FFA program changing lives in Mapanzure

(Mapanzure villagers- waiting to collect their food)

“All the areas outside the irrigation range had close to nothing. Our cereals where burnt down by the sun. Worst still, there were no adequate rains during the year. I remember that I harvested 50kgs of maize last year, and I had to depend on that 50kg bag of maize for all my day to day expenses. The food supplements which we are given by the WFP are really helping us improve our diets. Every time we come to work in our gardens, we feel that we are working for the benefit of us”, said Mudadigwa, a 60year old women of Mapanzure who is a participant in the FFA project.

The Food for Asset (FFA) project, which is funded by the World Food Programme (WFP), is covering Masvingo Rural, ward 22 & 29. This program started in June and it will end in December 2013. There is one irrigation scheme in ward 22, (Mapanzure). There are four gardens and one irrigation scheme in Ward 29, (Nyikavanhu).

The Project’s main goal is to promote asset formation in order to increase resilience to food security shocks and enhance access to food for non-labour constrained vulnerable households.

Providing food during FFA will enable protection of assets while helping in rehabilitation and creation of assets that will improve community resilience in times of shock. The project will contribute to restore food security assets that can sustain communities in Masvingo Rural.

Some of the participants come from far away villages such as Makasi, Magangani etc. Maramwidze Taurai, a participant in the FFA program said; “I don’t mind walking this long distance because this is where my money is buried”.

In order to remove donor syndrome amongst communities, food insecure households provide labour while receiving food handouts chained by BHASO from WFP. Common benefits discussed by the Mapanzure community included; change of diet, generation of income and the willingness to maintain the gardens. Some of the common problems which led to people join the FFA program include, lack of financial muscles and drought.