AMBASSADOR OBSERVES FOOD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000191

SIPDIS

DCHA/FFP FOR WELLER, MUTAMBA, PETERSEN
DCHA/OFDA FOR GOTTLIEB, PRATT, MENGHETTI, MARX
AFR/SA FOR LOKEN, COPSON, HIRSCH
EGAT FOR HOBGOOD, THOMPSON, HESS, MCGAHUEY,
GILL, RUSHIN-BELL, HURDUS
STATE/AF FOR NEULING, MOZENA
USUN FOR EMALY
NAIROBI FOR ESTES, DNIRANGO, PUTNAM
PRETORIA FOR SINK, DISKIN, HALE
ROME FOR FODAG FOR NEWBERG


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID EAGR PREL US ZI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR OBSERVES FOOD
DISTRIBUTION PROCESS


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Summary
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1. The Ambassador recently visited a WFP
food distribution in rural Zimbabwe. He
witnessed the labor-intensive and complicated
nature of the distribution process.
Community members were involved in almost all
aspects of the process, helping to make it
transparent, fair, and apolitical.

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Background
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2. The period from October 2005 to April
2006 is considered the "hunger period" in
Zimbabwe, the time after food stocks have been
depleted and before the new harvest. This is
the time that the World Food Program (WFP) and
the Consortium for Southern Africa Food
Security Emergency (C-SAFE, an NGO consortium
comprised of World Vision, CARE, and Catholic
Relief Services) implement their vulnerable
group feeding (VGF),a program of large-scale,
free food distribution to vulnerable
households.


3. Accompanied by USAID and WFP staff, the
Ambassador traveled to Mashonaland East
Province on February 9th to observe a VGF
food distribution in the Uzumba Maramba
Pfungwe (UMP) District. The Mashonaland East
Province is part of the farming heartland of
Zimbabwe, with historically high levels of
agricultural production. WFP implemented this
distribution with World Vision (WV) as its
cooperating partner. Over 5,000 beneficiaries
from nearly 1,000 families received food on
this day. District-wide in UMP, the WFP is
targeting about 63,500 beneficiaries, roughly
half of the total population as estimated in
the 2002 census. A large number of policeman
were present at the distribution site, as well
as individuals who WFP staff identified as
intelligence agents.

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Community Members Heavily Involved in Labor-
Intensive Process
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4. Volunteers from the beneficiary community
were involved in various ways. Beneficiary
selection is an outcome of village consensus
on the basis of criteria established by WFP
and managed by World Vision. Criteria for
beneficiary selection include low harvest,
income, and asset ownership, with priority
given to those who are also chronically ill,
disabled, elderly or orphans. Public and
household-level beneficiary verifications by
WFP and World Vision serve to refine
beneficiary registers and ensure the fairness
and transparency of the process. Community
members also assist with off-loading food from
the trucks and with the initial separation of
the items.


5. Before the distribution began, WV
employees gave a general explanation of the
process to the assembled group. Community
members and WV employees then verified the
names of the people on the registration lists
before the beneficiaries were allowed to take
food. The monthly ration per person of 10 kg
of cornmeal, .3 kg of oil, and .5 kg. of beans
was prominently displayed so that each family
would know exactly how much they could expect
to receive. Groups of ten households were
processed together. They received the food
and then the beneficiaries sub-divided the
rations equally per household themselves. A
scale was provided so that each person could
measure the amount of food they had received
before leaving the premises. At each stage,
WFP and WV employees, as well as community
volunteers, were on hand to monitor the
distribution and help make the process run
smoothly. There were no indications of
political interference. Even though the
Member of Parliament for the District did
arrive during the Ambassador's visit, he made
no attempt to make any speeches and his
presence was low-key.


6. As with other distribution points, the
UMP distribution contained a Help Desk,
staffed by community volunteers and World
Vision representatives, to enable both
beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries to
register any complaints. WFP reviews any
complaints as part of its monitoring process.
WFP and WV also conduct post-distribution
monitoring, where a sample of households are
visited to ascertain the effectiveness of the
targeting and beneficiary satisfaction with
the registration and distribution process.

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Comment
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7. The distribution in UMP district was
performed in an orderly manner with no signs
of political interference. It was evident
from this visit that WFP, WV and community
members made painstaking efforts to assure
that a fair and transparent process was
followed. The laborious process is designed
to keep the government at bay, closing off any
opportunity for political interference. It
was also evident from the many policemen and
intelligence agents who shadowed the
Ambassador during this visit that the
Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) is nervous about
diplomats having contact with its most
vulnerable citizens. Past allegations of
politicized food distribution by the GOZ,
however, highlight the critical importance of
continued donor monitoring.
DELL