By Zachary Gava
Harare, (New Ziana) – The World Food Programme (WFP) says Japan’s JPY200 million contribution towards food and nutrition assistance at Tongogara Refugee Settlement will not only address immediate hunger needs but also help strengthen resilience and self-reliance among thousands of refugees and asylum seekers facing growing humanitarian challenges.
WFP Representative and Country Director for Zimbabwe, Barbara Clemens, said the approximately US$1.3 million contribution would enable the agency to provide critical food assistance to about 11 300 vulnerable people over the next two years, while targeted nutrition support would focus on children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women and chronically ill individuals.
“This contribution will enable WFP to provide critical food and nutrition assistance to vulnerable refugee families over the next two years,” Clemens said during the signing ceremony in Harare on Monday.
Zimbabwe hosts more than 23 000 refugees and asylum seekers, according to Clemens, with the majority residing at Tongogara, where humanitarian assistance remains particularly important for vulnerable households.
She said the latest support comes at a time when humanitarian needs are increasing while resources available to respond to them are declining.
“Across the humanitarian sector, growing needs are colliding with shrinking resources,” Clemens said.
However, she stressed that food assistance alone could not provide a lasting solution, arguing that humanitarian interventions must increasingly be linked to measures that enable refugees to become more self-reliant.
“At WFP, we view food security through four interconnected dimensions: availability, access, utilization and stability,” she said.
Clemens said the Japanese contribution would help address all four dimensions by ensuring vulnerable households have food, enabling families to access nutritious diets and providing specialized nutrition support to groups facing heightened nutritional risks.
She said the intervention was also intended to promote stability and resilience among refugee communities facing future shocks.
Importantly, Clemens challenged the perception of refugees as merely beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance, highlighting their potential to contribute to the communities in which they live.
“Refugees are not simply recipients of aid. They are entrepreneurs, farmers, workers, students and community leaders seeking opportunities to rebuild their lives and contribute meaningfully to society,” she said.
The WFP country director said the agency, working with the Government, UNHCR and other partners, was therefore seeking to create pathways that would strengthen livelihoods, expand economic opportunities and reduce long-term dependence on humanitarian assistance.
Her remarks dovetail with ongoing livelihood initiatives at Tongogara, where refugees are involved in crop production, poultry, piggery and fisheries, among other activities, aimed at improving household incomes and food security.
Clemens also called for broader investment in Tongogara, saying the settlement’s future could not be secured by humanitarian agencies alone.
“The future of Tongogara Refugee Settlement cannot be secured by humanitarian actors alone,” she said, urging development partners, financial institutions, civil society and the private sector to invest in opportunities within the settlement and surrounding host communities.
She identified livelihoods, skills development, agricultural production, market linkages and renewable energy as some of the areas with potential to unlock economic opportunities and strengthen self-reliance.
The WFP official commended the Government, particularly the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, for its longstanding commitment to the protection and assistance of refugees and asylum seekers.
She said sustained cooperation between Government, humanitarian organizations and development partners remained essential to achieving durable outcomes for refugees.
Clemens described Japan’s contribution as an investment that went beyond addressing immediate food needs.
“This contribution will not only help protect lives today but will also help build a stronger foundation for resilience tomorrow,” she said.
The Japanese support comes as the country prepares for potential food-security pressures linked to climate-related shocks, including the threat of an El Niño-induced drought during the 2026/27 agricultural season.
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