The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe was characterized by a combination of acute humanitarian needs and more protracted, chronic vulnerabilities.  The most acute humanitarian needs included those of populations affected by drought and cholera outbreaks, as well as mobile and vulnerable people continuously affected by the fast-track land reform programme, Operation Murambatsvina/Restore Order.  The more protracted issues affecting vulnerable populations  included inadequate access to basic social services, chronic malnutrition, and disrupted livelihoods for food insecure farmers due to lack of sufficient fertilizers and other measures to prevent drought.  Further affecting the situation in the country was the continuing economic decline and the large number of migrants.  The HIV/AIDS pandemic directly affected 18 percent of the population, causing an average of 3,000 deaths per week.

Click here to download the full 2006 CERF report for Zimbabwe.

Beneficiaries of shelters in Hopley Farm [Photo: IOM/Zimbabwe]

Shelter
The first CERF allocation for underfunded emergencies, made it possible to provide shelter to families in the middle of the 2006 winter, after having survived the previous winter and rainy season.  The first CERF allocation, along with funds from the Governments of Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain, made the provision of shelters that were acceptable to all stakeholders possible.  As such, the funding was crucial, not only to meeting life-saving needs of people rendered homeless after Operation Murambatsvina, but also to mobilize funds for the shelter response.  The provision of shelter to 755 households affected by Operation Murambatsvina was used as a vehicle to carry out health HIV/AIDS activities and a campaign against gender-based violence (funded through other channels).

The second CERF allocation complemented existing funds and enabled more families to be provided with shelter at the onset of the 2006/2007 rainy season.  IOM field officers and implementing partners were responsible for overseeing the completion of all project activities and monitoring was done throughout the project.  After the initial community assessment, IOM field officers and the implementing partners jointly carried out the selection of beneficiaries, registration, and verification.  The presence of IOM field officers ensured that all processes were done in conformity with the standards and indicators set by IOM.  IOM also took part during the distribution ensuring that the intended beneficiaries received the needed assistance.  Construction of shelter units was done by a team of trained builders and the implementing partners monitored the activities on a daily basis and produced periodic progress reports, which were submitted to IOM.  Staff from IOM and other stakeholders would occasionally monitor the shelter construction process.  Even after construction was finished, regular, and informal monitoring visits continued to determine the extent to which living standards of the communities have improved because of the shelters.

Nutrition Surveillance
CERF funding for nutrition surveillance enabled the critical monitoring of the health and nutritional status around the country and in the urban areas in order to better understand the situation and provide the necessary information to programme appropriately.  This was even more important in the Zimbabwean context where factual and accurate information was available in timely manner.  All of UNICEF’s projects were monitored by the responsible project officer in collaboration with implementing partners.

Children outside makeshift structures [Photo: IOM/Zimbabwe]

For water and sanitation interventions, this was done on a daily basis by visiting project sites and weekly meetings with implementing partners.  Standard monitoring tools were used on a continued basis, and end-of-the-project evaluation was conducted through the monitoring of office-wide indicators for each sector.  Results had been fully achieved and a Comprehensive Nutrition Sentinel Site Surveillance Report and an Urban Livelihood and Vulnerability Report were produced and made available to the relevant stakeholders through various forums (including the IASC).  The reports included tables/graphs/maps of relevant indicators, clear identification of vulnerable groups and related formal/informal access conditions, identification of coping and survival mechanisms, identification of social and economic conditions with gender focus including housing, health, nutrition, and sanitation.  In addition to reporting on the situation, recommendations of appropriate short-term and medium-term modalities for interventions and steps for programme implementation and coordination were also made.

Provision of anti-retroviral programmes
By the end of 2006, project implementation was not yet at a stage where this question could be answered fully.  Therefore, this project will be covered in more detail in the Humanitarian Coordinator’s mid-year report on the CERF in 2007.

Cholera response
The cholera project focused on initiating the procurement process, development of training modules and materials, development of detailed implementation schedule.  After the project proposal was approved, a project implementation plan was drawn up in November 2006.  The procurement process of drugs and other medical supplies, water testing equipment, protective gear and camping equipment was initiated, and procurements were made through WHO Regional Office and headquarters between November and December 2006.  Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Modules and Training Guidelines were sent for printing.

Food
The CERF grant augmented the WFP food pipeline, which was projected to experience pipeline breaks in December 2006.  The complementary funding allowed for continued response during the lean season characterized by decreasing levels of food availability and accessibility.  WFP consistently conducted food distribution monitoring in coordination with cooperating partners.  This ensured the timely and accurate distribution of food to targeted beneficiaries and was followed by post-distribution monitoring, which was carried out by WFP food monitors to determine the appropriateness and timeliness of food aid programmes.

[Last Update: 29 August 2007]

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CERF in Zimbabwe 2007
Click here to download the 2006 CERF report for Zimbabwe
IOM Reporting Matrix on Zimbabwe
WHO Reporting Matrix