As part of the Dutch Relief Alliance ‘s (DRA) Zambia/ Zimbabwe Joint Response ( ZZJR) ICCO is working in Zimbabwe to address the drought crisis in the bordering region of Zambia and Zimbabwe. These regions have suffered not only from drought but also from flash floods that occurred in early 2020. Many rural community water points have dried out and cannot meet the needs of the communities and an increasing number of people are using unsafe water resources. The food security situation is growing ever more precarious, as millions of Zimbabweans require food assistance, health, and nutrition support.
In collaboration with its local partner, Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), ICCO is addressing nutrition, food, livelihood assistance in the Marondera and Seke districts within Mashonaland East. Interventions aim to address immediate needs and prepare communities for similar climate change-related events.
Through a number of interventions, from distributing food parcels to restoring water points, addressing malnutrition in children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, distribution of small livestock and garden inputs to workshops on climate-smart agriculture practices, ICCO is linking emergency relief with rehabilitation and economic recovery to restore depleted livelihoods recovery of vulnerable rural communities.
As the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading through the world, ICCO is linking rapid emergency relief with COVID-19 humanitarian response in its drought response program to promote infection prevention and awareness-raising among vulnerable rural communities. Our COVID-19 approach is focusing on decreasing the spread of the virus by implementing WASH interventions such as the distribution of hygiene kits and community sensitization and awareness-raising on COVID-19.