Staff Reporter
UNICEF Zimbabwe, with support from the government of Japan and in collaboration with key Government ministries and the Mbire Rural District Council, launched a series of community dialogues to strengthen drought response efforts in Mbire District yesterday.
The initiative, announced on UNICEF Zimbabwe’s official page on X yesterday, aims to engage Food and Nutrition Security Committees (FNSCs) and local leaders in identifying priority needs to guide a coordinated, multi-sectoral response to the ongoing El Niño-induced drought.
“In Mbire District, we are holding community dialogues with food and nutrition security committees to identify priority needs for a coordinated multi-sectoral response to the drought. These consultations ensure that local knowledge and lived experiences inform programming,” UNICEF Zimbabwe said in the statement.
UNICEF said feedback gathered from the sessions would inform future humanitarian actions and resilience programming.
“We are committed to working with our partners to ensure that immediate relief and long-term resilience interventions are grounded in what communities say they need most,” read the post.
The community engagement is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MoLAFWRD), the Food and Nutrition Council (FNC), the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), and the Mbire RDC.
Mbire RDC Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Claudious Majaya, described the programme as timely and people-driven.
“This initiative comes at a critical time when many households are already feeling the harsh effects of the drought. What makes it valuable is that it puts communities at the centre of the planning process. We are not prescribing solutions we are listening,” said Majaya
Majaya said the district had already recorded growing food insecurity, livestock distress, and depleted water sources in some wards.
“Local feedback from the dialogues would help improve targeting of vulnerable groups, such as children, women, and the elderly,” Majaya emphasised
Meanwhile, the dialogues also promote coordination between local government structures and humanitarian actors, ensuring that drought mitigation, food security, and nutrition efforts are better aligned ahead of the lean season.
The programme reflects Zimbabwe’s broader shift toward community-led, data-informed disaster preparedness in the face of climate change.
