USA Introduces US$130M Food Security Programs

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s country director for Zimbabwe director Art Brown on 21 October announced two new food security programs, Takunda and Amalima Loko.

These five-year programs will target nearly 490,000 Zimbabweans in Matabeleland North, Masvingo, and Manicaland provinces. Brown said:

These two new programs will build on the United States’ investment in Zimbabwean people and tackle the root causes of food insecurity and poverty by assisting almost a half a million vulnerable Zimbabweans to transition from humanitarian assistance to resilience and self-reliance.

Takunda, a Shona word meaning “We Have Overcome,” is a US$55 million program implemented by CARE International.

Takunda will target more than 301,000 Zimbabweans in two districts of Masvingo province, Chivi and Zaka, and two districts in Manicaland province, Buhera and Mutare.

The program is premised at empowering women and youth to create sustainable livelihoods, improve agriculture practices and technology, and strengthen the governance and management of community assets and infrastructure, which will strengthen household and community resilience to shocks and stresses.

Amalima Loko derives its name from the Ndebele word for a group of people coming together to achieve a common goal and a Tonga word that means “genuine.”

Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture will implement this US$75 million investment to improve food security for more than 188,000 vulnerable Zimbabweans in five districts of Matabeleland North Province: Tsholotsho, Lupane, Nkayi, Hwange, and Binga. The program will increase access to food, improve nutritional behaviors, and educate communities on sustainable watershed management.

USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, the U.S. Government’s lead coordinator for international disaster assistance, provides life-saving humanitarian assistance—such as food, water, shelter, emergency healthcare, sanitation and hygiene, and critical nutrition services—to the world’s most vulnerable people.

Since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, the American people, through USAID, have contributed over $3.2 billion in assistance to Zimbabwe. Current projects include initiatives to increase food security, support economic resilience, improve health systems and services, and promote democratic governance.