The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) Partners with World Vision to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in Zimbabwe

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

World Vision has partnered with the European Commission to enhance the Disaster preparedness of Muzarabani and Mbire districts in Zimbabwe which are prone to floods and droughts. The two-year programme that started on 1 May 2018, will focus on multi-level capacity building initiatives with the local communities and Government departments.

Mbire and Muzarabani districts are susceptible to natural hazards induced by climate change, chief among them floods and droughts which have perennially affected these communities. In 2016-2017, communities in these adjacent districts were negatively impacted by the effects of El Nino, and both districts were poorly equipped to handle them. The limited level of Disaster Preparedness has largely gone unaddressed as organizations battle to respond to acute needs. The Government institutions who are responsible for the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) mandate, the NGOs as well as the communities had inadequate resources to manage these hazards. Mbire and Muzarabani districts are among the most vulnerable rural communities in Zimbabwe which risk being affected by future natural disasters. The high exposure of these communities to recurrent disasters and the lack of investment in preparedness has created the need for large-scale responses to emergencies in the short to medium term.

World Vision (WV) will, during the partnership with ECHO, focus on the following:

1) Review and work on institutional capacity to enhance effectiveness in Disaster Risk Management (DRM), focusing on supporting the roll-out of structures and policies mandated by the DRM policy for Zimbabwe;

2) Enhance Community capacity for early response and focussing and securing the livelihoods resilience of the communities (focusing on Disaster Risk Reduction in Education and smallholder training),

3) Advocate for strategic partnerships, better institutional coordination and private sector participation in Disaster Risk Management (DRM).

4) Develop a Cash transfer system as part of Cash preparedness for use by communities in times of an emergency and or a crisis.

Droughts and floods were identified in these communities as the two most damaging climate-change induced disasters, with serious implications on food security, livelihoods and water availability. This action responds to the need to reduce the risk of communities in these disasters by enhancing coping capacities and reducing vulnerability.

“Sustainable solutions have to be found in Disaster Risk Management so that we don’t continue putting a bandage on a wound which will not heal,” saysColleen Mateva the Assistant District Administrator, Mbire.

World Vision will be undertaking this work in direct collaboration with the Department of Civil Protection, and the Communities of Mbire and Muzarabani Districts of Zimbabwe. WV has also engaged the Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) through its Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs (HEA) /Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (DMRR) Department in various aspects including joint research, training and sharing expertise and knowledge on how the Project is impacting the estimated 31,696 individual beneficiaries in the targeted communities.

The Mbire and Muzarabani communities are looking forward to a new era wherby they have some form of preparedness and have solutions to the unforeseen in the future.

For enquiries and interviews contact:

Communications Departments

World Vision Zimbabwe

Address: 59 Joseph Road, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe

Tel:+263 242 301172/5, 301709/8 or369027/8 Fax:+263 242 301330

E-mail:andrew_shamu@wvi.org or communications_zimbabwe@wvi.org

Website:https://www.wvi.org/zimbabwe

Marlies Wegerif

Marketing & Communicatie Coördinator

World Vision Nederland

Address: Zonnehof 38, 3811 ND Amersfoort, Nederland

Tel:(+31)33 464 3440