Japan announces US$ 15,3 million assistance package for Zimbabwe

ZTN Reporter

The Government of Japan has mobilised a total of more than US$15,3 million in emergency funding to assist people who have been severely affected by drought and floods in Zimbabwe through United Nations agencies, namely the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s fund (UNICEF) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

A statement issued by the Japanese embassy in Harare said recurring droughts and worsening economic conditions have resulted in Zimbabwe currently facing one of its worst food security crises. It said a recent nationwide assessment, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), showed that the total number of food insecure people now stands at 7.7 million, more than half the population, while the number of those who are acutely food insecure stands at 4.3 million.

The statement said in addition to drought, many of the victims of Cyclone Idai which occurred in March 2019 still require support in order to rebuild their lives.

Japan has provided US$ 96,054 through IOM to support populations in Manicaland province who were affected by Cyclone Idai and who are still displaced. It will include the provision of transitional shelters and strengthening of resilience of the displaced people.

The funding from the Government of Japan includes US$ 14.8 million to provide food assistance to vulnerable populations through the WFP and the Government of Zimbabwe. It will enable the purchase and distribution of over 25 thousand metric tonnes of maize which is expected to meet the essential food security needs of 512 000 households in rural areas for a period of six months.