THE Government has come in for special commendation for providing support,
which targets boosting productivity and enhancing resilience in the urban
communities.
The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) 2023 urban
livelihoods assessment report released recently said 9,2 percent of the households
received support from the Government in which 5,9 percent of the support that was
rendered to was of crop inputs.
The Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) supported at least 5,3 percent
households with the main form of support being cash transfers at 2,4 percent
followed by vouchers at 1,2 percent.
“Nationally, 26 percent of the sampled households received some form of support
from one or more sources. Mashonaland Central with 35 percent had the highest
proportion of households which received support while Matabeleland South had the
least proportion with 15 percent,” read part of the report.
“About 17.7 percent of the households were able to receive support from relatives.
Institutionally, the Government was the main source of support with 9.2 percent
followed by development partners with 5.3 percent and churches with 2.2 percent. In
line with NDS1 (National Development Strategy 1), the government facilitated
implementation of social safety nets to ensure that the vulnerable population are well
protected.”
It noted that the findings give evidence on the benefits of Zimbabwe’s economic
growth trajectory, which translates into household economy.
“The main form of support from the Government was in form of crop inputs with 5.9
percent. The Government is commended for providing support that aims to increase
productivity and helps to build resilience. The main form of support from UN/NGOs
was cash transfers with 2.4 percent.
“The Government is commended for ensuring an enabling environment and putting
the necessary measures aimed at improving the people’s quality of life. There has
been an improvement in household caloric availability as 79 percent of the
households had food diversity and frequency in the acceptable category,” read the
report.
The diaspora contributed 6, 7 percent support while local relatives contributed 11
percent.
With 85 percent of the households never experiencing any deprivation of food, the
committee commended the Government’s efforts towards ensuring that no one goes

hungry, and has encouraged that it continues implementing strategies towards
eliminating hunger in urban areas.