THE Resilience for Vulnerable Households in Zimbabwe (ERVHIZ) Project helped households in vulnerable situations in the face of economic and climate-induced shocks and stresses in Matabeleland South to build sustainable pathways to resilient livelihoods, during its 4-year implementation period.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) jointly supported government to implement the ERVHIZ project which contributed to the well-being of 345,660 people (69,132 households) focused on adopting principles of agro-ecology, access to local markets, community WASH and nutrition, rangeland management, irrigation rehabilitation interventions that were adapted to the local context of Bulilima, Mangwe, Matobo, Gwanda, Beitbridge and Insiza districts.
The project was funded by the European Union.
The project helped to increase the resilience of rural households to food crises and climate change, through increasing sustainable crop and livestock production together with improved practice of healthy eating and access to improved water and sanitation. Put together, these actions addressed the immediate, underlying and basic causes of malnutrition, ultimately increasing resilience for the vulnerable households
Using the UNICEF ‘Conceptual Framework for Malnutrition’ as a guide in project design, the project sought to achieve the project outcome, which is to increase the resilience of rural households to food crises and climate change, through increasing sustainable crop and livestock production together with improved practice of healthy eating and access to improved water and sanitation. Put together, these actions addressed the immediate, underlying and basic causes of malnutrition, ultimately increasing resilience for the vulnerable households.
As the project nears its endline, significant progress has been made in enhancing the resilience capacity of the targeted households, while also acknowledging challenges and lessons learned along the way.
In that regard, an end of project review and lessons learnt event is being held this week in Bulawayo, preceded by a high-level field mission to one of the districts in Matabeleland South to appreciate evidence of results at beneficiary level.
The main objective of the Learning Event is to share documented ERVHIZ experiences and lessons learned from implementing integrated agriculture, WASH, nutrition and crisis modifier interventions in communities to enhance resilience to food crisis and climate change.
The event will specifically seek to share lessons learned and draw implications for policy and future programming from the components in the diagram on the right.
