The World Food Program, through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, will next month start distributing food aid to hunger-stricken wards in Gweru District.
Speaking during a programme that was by held WPF in Maboleni, Lower Gweru last week, Gweru Assistant District Development Coordinator Mr Tarisai Mudadigwa applauded WFP and the Government in ensuring that rural communities were not starving.
“I would like to thank the Government and the World Food Program in making sure that people in rural areas will not starve by introducing the food relief program,” he said.
He said the programme would run from January next year to April.
“The ADRA food relief program will run from January to April next year, targeting many households and current beneficiaries of social government drought relief food will be considered under the ADRA relief scheme,” he said.
“We have agreed that beneficiaries will be chosen fairly without biases of political partisanship. We want people who are more vulnerable to benefit from this program which will offer various forms of help including cash and food. We have therefore, agreed that those who were in the social welfare program before will be considered first,” he said.
Mr Mudadigwa applauded President Mnangagwa for the drought mitigation programme throughout the country.
“We also applaud His Excellency the President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Government for its efforts in making drought mitigation programmes a success,” added Mr Mudadigwa.
Recently, the World Food Program said it would be scaling up its food assistance program in January next year to 2.7 million Zimbabweans who were facing hunger and starvation.
WFP said it was committed to continue funding food aid to hunger-stricken wards in Zimbabwe until they were food secure.
The Government has also put in place the food for asset program as part of the social protection schemes for citizens in light of drought induced shortages.
