|
Back to Index
Zimbabwe
Humanitarian Situation Report 5 May 2004
UN
Relief and Recovery Unit
May 05, 2004
More Needed
To Fight Malaria
As
Africa celebrated Africa Malaria Day on Sunday 25th April, the number
of malaria cases in Zimbabwe this year continues to increase, threatening
the lives of many, especially children. This year, many malaria
prevention activities, like spraying, did not take place. In addition
the price of Insecticide Treated Net (ITN), normally purchased through
District Revolving Funds, have jumped from $14,000 to more than
$35,000 each which is too expensive for most districts and availability
has become a problem. This is leaving many rural communities more
vulnerable to the deadly disease. According to the Ministry of Health
and Child Welfare, the cumulative figures for the year (as of April
21st), now stand at 177,253 cases of malaria presented and 439 deaths.
Although anti
malaria drugs are available, UNICEF is concerned globally about
increasing drug resistance. Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director,
marked Africa Malaria by calling on pharmaceutical firms and donor
countries to get behind an initiative to introduce a life-saving
new drug to hundreds of millions of people affected by the disease
each year.
Chloroquine,
the least expensive and most widely used anti-malarial drug, has
lost its effectiveness in many parts of Africa. In recent years,
a new, more expensive treatment has entered the market. This new
treatment, called artemisinin-containing combination therapy (ACT),
is recommended by WHO and UNICEF in areas where there is growing
resistance to chloroquine.
Because ACTs
are comparatively expensive and currently available only in limited
quantities, UNICEF and partners are working with global manufacturers
to expand the production of high-quality ACTs so that every child
and community that needs these drugs can access them readily. UNICEF
is also calling on donor nations to help malaria-endemic countries
pay for the new drugs. A full course treatment of Coartem, the only
co-formulated ACT at this time, costs US$2.40 per person - five
to ten times more than chloroquine.
In Zimbabwe,
UNICEF continues to work with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare,
WHO and other partners, to support the provision of anti malaria
drugs, provide ITNs and support prevention efforts, especially through
the promotion of integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI),
that includes malaria. Cholroquine remains effective in most parts
of Zimbabwe and as such is still used as the first line of defence
against malaria. In those parts where resistance to the drug has
been detected combination therapy is being used.
Recently, with
support from NORAD, UNICEF has distributed through the Ministry
of Health and Child Welfare approximately US$100,000 worth of quinine
and sulfadox and pyrimeth anti malaria drugs, as part of a US$1.2
million donation for essential drugs.
Vulnerable
Groups Benefit From a UNDP Donation in Manicaland
About
125 households from Nyamazura in Mutare District of Manicaland Province,
selected from poor small holder farming communities and some vulnerable
groups that include HIV/AIDS infected and affected, the elderly,
child headed households and widows benefited from a United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) donation of US$15,000 to promote production
of Open Pollinated Variety (OPV) maize crop.
The money was
part of US$80,000 contribution sourced by the UNDP Bureau for Crisis
Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) flex fund. The UNDP/BCPR flex funding
facility is used to support small grants in recovery projects aimed
at improving livelihoods and mitigating risk against future shocks
at household and community level. Two further projects are being
supported in Manicaland Province and funds amount to US$50,000 in
total. In addition to these funds directed to Manicaland Province,
the UNDP, through the Office of the Humanitarian Co-ordinator provided
additional ZW$35 million for Manicaland for various projects that
are meant to improve livelihood of the most vulnerable.
A local NGO,
Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources (SAFIRE) was the UNDP
implementing partner for the maize and maize seed production project
on Open Pollinated Variety. SAFIRE works to facilitate the development
and application of innovative approaches to diversify and improve
rural livelihoods based on utilisation, commercialisation and sustainable
management of natural resources.
The beneficiaries
recently held a field day in Nyamazura District on 30th April 2004
to celebrate the success of the OPV seed multiplication project.
SAFIRE introduced the project to increase agriculture production
for vulnerable groups through provision, promotion, production and
multiplication of open pollinated variety crops particularly maize.
Prizes were given to farmers who excelled in production and field
management of the crop throughout the production period. United
Nations Volunteers (UNV section of UNDP) donated prizes worth ZW$3.8
million that were given to farmers who excelled in the OPV seed
production project. The prizes included ploughs, wheel burrows,
OPV seeds (Zim 451 and 421 varieties), fertilizers and exercise
books and readers for grade 1-3 for the participating child headed
households. The overall winner was an elderly widow Mrs Mudehwe
of Nyamazura district who is expecting a good harvest from a 0.5
hectare flourishing OPV maize crop.
According to
SAFIRE field officers, the selected districts had been experiencing
increasing vulnerability due to poor water and sanitation (a cholera
outbreak was reported in 2000), deforestation and an increase in
the number of orphans and child headed households due to HIV and
AIDS. SAFIRE trained people, selected from the local community,
in agronomy, seed production, business management and record keeping
who could spearhead project implementation. These acted as contact
farmers to give advice to the beneficiaries.
The vulnerable
people received 12.5kg seed maize, a 50kg bag of compound D fertiliser
and a 50kg bag of Ammonium Nitrate for 0.5ha of land. Although the
beneficiaries started implementing the project late end January
2004, the expected yields are promising to be higher than the other
traditional crops. The OPV also requires less fertilisers and labour
and is resistant to pests and drought compared to other varieties
grown in the area. One of the contact farmers indicated that if
the seed is supplied early, it is possible for farmers to plant
the maize variety twice within one season so as to realise bumper
yields as the OPV is a short season variety.
In a speech
read on his behalf, the Humanitarian Coordinator emphasised the
importance of collaboration among various actors in relief activities.
He indicated that the project in Nyamazura is a good lesson to be
replicated in other districts of Manicaland to improve self-sustenance
and ensure food security. The beneficiaries indicated that they
could do better if they were assisted in establishing irrigation
works utilising water from the nearby Osborne dam. A preliminary
survey for the irrigation project was done, but the project has
been at a stand still due to financial constraints. The beneficiaries
plan to have a seed bank that will provide seeds to other districts
in Manicaland and the rest of the country at a reasonable price.
There are also plans to have storage facilities for seed that will
be sold at a reasonable price in order to assist other vulnerable
households such as orphans, terminally ill and elderly and the community
at large in time of need. There will also be free seed to be distributed
to the vulnerable category of the society in times of need.
It has been
planned that each farmer will retain 40% of the total proceeds for
the harvest, 10 % will be collected by the Commodity Association
and be distributed to vulnerable category and the last 50% will
be collected by the commodity association for storage in grain seed
bank, treated accordingly and sold so that this money can be used
as seed money for inputs for the next season. The community also
highlighted through a drama that they do not want to continuously
receive food handouts and if given necessary support in the form
of training and financial resources, they have the capacity to sustain
and promote food security in their province.
Zimbabwe
Human Development Report 2003 to be Launched
A
national launch of the Zimbabwe Human Development Report (ZHDR),
2003 is taking place in Harare on the 6th of May 2004. The report
whose theme is 'Redirecting Our Responses to HIV and AIDS: Towards
Reducing Vulnerability', has been prepared independently by the
Poverty Reduction Forum, a civil society organisation, with support
from the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) at the University
of Zimbabwe and UNDP. Different aspects of the theme were researched
and reported on by a team of 47 mostly national, experts.
The focus of
all Human Development Reports is to put people back at the center
of the development process in terms of economic debate, policy and
advocacy. The aim is to go beyond income to assess the level of
people's long-term well-being. Human Development Reports are produced
at global, regional and national levels. The aim of the national
report is to place human development at the forefront of the national
policy agenda. It is to be used as a tool for policy analysis reflecting
people's priorities, strengthening national capacities, engaging
national partners, identifying inequities and measuring progress.
Key Indicators showing the trend from 1995 to 2001 presented in
the report include the Human Development Index (HDI) the Human Poverty
Index (HPI) and the gender empowerment measure (GEM) among others.
The last Zimbabwe Human Development Report was produced in 2000
and had governance as its central theme.
The key message
that is being highlighted in this new report is that the nation
needs to carefully review the current national response to the HIV
and AIDS pandemic. The challenge, it asserts, will be to redirect
the national response. The current strategic framework that has
guided the national response ends at the end of this year. The existing
response in Zimbabwe remains largely medical in thrust. As such
it does not address adequately the social issues of poverty and
culture, which are the underlying developmental factors driving
the spread of HIV. The release of this report now is very timely
in that it will greatly inform the development of the new strategic
framework which will hopefully be developed during the course of
this year.
In addition,
the ZHDR will inform discussion at the 3 ˝ day national HIV and
AIDS conference taking place in June. This conference intends to
assist in drawing up cross-sectoral recommendations for improving
the national response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. The conference
will provide a national platform for all sectors and all levels
of Zimbabwean society to review the HIV and AIDS response effort
and draw up lessons for future programming.
This report
may also assist in the development of other responses including
the UN Response to the triple threat of food insecurity, weakened
capacity for governance and AIDS.
The ZHDR will
be officially launched by the Minister of Public Service, Labour
and Social Welfare, the line Ministry responsible for the poverty
reduction mandate and the Poverty Reduction Forum project. The Minister
for Health and Child Welfare will also officiate at the launch which
will be chaired by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
This illustrates the nature of the new response that is being called
for, a response that is a joint effort of the health and development
practitioners. As such key stakeholders are being invited from all
sectors.
Update on
Availability of Food in Urban Areas
Despite
adequate availability of most basic food stuffs, purchasing power
of the majority poor urban households continues to be eroded by
high levels of inflation. Between November 2003 and March 2004,
the gap between the minimum wage and value of the Consumer Council
of Zimbabwe (CCZ) monitored, low income households expenditure basket
for a family of six, has increased by about 42 percent. This is
from about ZW$600,000 in November 2003 to over ZW$850,000 in March
2004.
The minimum
wage rate for industrial workers was able to purchase only 12 percent
of the total of the CCZ basket in March (Figure 1 below).
  Figure
1. Cost of monthly expenditure basket for a low-income urban household
of six in Harare, November 2003-March 2004.
While on the
decline, inflation levels in Zimbabwe remain undesirably high. The
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe believes the retreat in inflation is attributable
to their success in bursting the bubble of runaway increases in
general prices. The Bank has expressed optimism that its target
annual inflation rate of 200 percent by the years end is achievable
provided the current monetary policy measures are sustained and
are supported by further fiscal measures.
Water bowsers
dstributed to dstricts as part of emergency cholera prevention efforts
As
part of ECHO support to UNICEF and WHO cholera prevention and emergency
response, 500,000 water purification tablets have been purchased
and 17 bowsers have been distributed to cholera prone districts
this month. The districts that received water bowsers include Buhera
3 (Manicaland Province), Chirumanzu 2 and Gokwe North 3 (Midlands
Province), Mt. Darwin 3 (Mashonaland Central Province) and Mudzi
3 (Mashonaland East Province). UNICEF will retain 3 for outbreak
response in other areas.
Efforts are
also underway as a component of this response, to strengthen existing
response mechanisms at the district level to ensure that water borne
diseases are detected and contained as quickly as possible to reduce
mortality and morbidity. The emergency efforts also seek to establish
an epidemic management system within one week, provide emergency
cholera supplies to the area affected within 48 hours, support the
construction of temporary hygiene enabling facilities including
waste disposal (latrines) and ensure that the public are fully informed
about how they can prevent the disease.
Pilot Hydrocensus
Undertaken to Assist SCF-UK in Water and Sanitation Programming
In
an attempt to improve the planning, operational management and impact
monitoring of their OFDA funded Emergency Water and Sanitation programme,
Save the Children UK (SCF-UK) appointed a consultant to carry out
a mapping exercise to compile an inventory of formal water sources
across six wards in Zvimba District (Mashonaland West Province).
The exercise, which recognises only communally shared water points
identified 215 formal sources (30 shallow wells, 64 deep wells and
121 bore holes) across the six wards. Assistance was provided by
the local administration including the CEO of Zvimba Rural District
Council and his staff, the District Development Fund (DDF) District
Water Technicians, ward councillors and co-ordinators.
The consultant's
brief included the collection of geographical information (using
GPS equipment), data on the number of households and individuals
using the water facility, the maximum distance from any household
to the facility and a sanitary survey (audit of the water points
surrounds). This exercise was conducted in close collaboration with
the GIS Section of the UN Relief and Recovery Unit (UN RRU). UN
RRU provided technical assistance in terms of training in the use
of GPS equipment for the data collectors and plotted water point
location information overlain on maps showing the major physical
geographical features, primary and secondary school location, rural
health centres and growth points. These maps were presented at the
broad stakeholder Water and Sanitation Working Group for broader
discussion. These maps were very well received and essentially it
was decided that this model could provide a framework for future
exercises of this kind in this sector.
A final report
will provide clear recommendations on how to enhance the impact
of the SCF-UK emergency water and sanitation activities. It will
also assist in the development of a plan of action for future data
collection activities in the remaining SCF-UK project areas.
Pilot teams
have also been deployed by World Vision and Oxfam for similar data
collection. These teams will follow the same model as SCF-UK and
will pass on the information collected to the UN RRU GIS Section
for mapping.
UN Humanitarian
Coordinator/RRU
Information Reference of Humanitarian Assistance Meetings May
2004
NB: Meetings
are by invitation only. Please contact the focal point person if
you would like to receive information about any of these meetings.
3 May 04
Inter-Agency Coordination Committee for Health
Contact: Shadreck Khupe, UNICEF
4 May 04
HC and Friends Meeting
Contact: Maria Kantamigu, UNDP
5 May 04
Urban Sector Working Group
Contact: Ruth Butao, UN RRU
6 May 04
UN/GoZ/Donors Meeting
Contact: Annika Rosing, UNDP
6 May 04
Nutrition Working Group
Contact: Thokozile Ncube, UNICEF
7 May 04
Education Working Group
Contact: Cecilia Baldeh, UNICEF
20 May 04
Child Protection Working Group
Contact: Ron Pouwels, UNICEF
27 May 04
Agricultural Coordination Meeting
Contact: Morris Mudiwa, FAO
28 May 04
Water and Sanitation Working Group
Contact: Maxwell Jonga, UNICEF
Articles for
publication in the next Situation Report should be submitted by
12 May 2004 to our office at the email address: Zimrelief.info@undp.org.
Contributions from GoZ, NGOs, International Organizations, or private
sector groups are welcome.
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
