"And Me Too, Do Not Leave Me Out, Please!” Dynamics and Challenges of Food Aid Targeting and Distribution in Mutare District, Zimbabwe, 2000-2010

Abstract

Many African countries have grappled with food insecurity for generations, and for Zimbabwe, the challenge flies in the face of near-empty proclamations by Government to guarantee food self-sufficiency to all its people by 2000. Realising that a significant number of households hardly meet basic food requirements for survival and succumb to diseases arising there from, Government has generally responded by increasingly accepting the role of charity organisations in mitigating the disaster, particularly in its rural communities. For instance, it has, in recent years, partnered with the World Food Programme of the United Nations, through Plan International-Zimbabwe and other Co-operating Partners like Care International, Catholic Relief Services or Christian Care, in executing emergency operations that are focussed on ameliorating growing effects of hunger in victim areas through identifying and extending relief aid to chronically food-insecure households residing in those communities. It is against this background that this paper examines complex dynamics of food aid targeting and distribution in contexts of recurrent deficits in Mutare. It argues that the task of reaching out to genuinely struggling households is not a simple one; some extremely needy cases have either been deliberately or inadvertently skipped during processes of beneficiary identification and targeting, apparently regardless of their undisputed eligibility. During distribution of relief items at various points, Plan International's Complaints Desks remained overwhelmed by non-beneficiaries seeking clarification on their exclusion. It is, however, amazing how these food-insecure households still made ends meet after such serious omissions, which is what this paper also unravels. Using fieldwork, including observation and interview methods, in addition to monthly reports compiled by field officers in Marange/Zimunya, this paper concludes by examining how and why some gate crashers made the show ahead of targeted recipients, highlighting ongoing efforts to ensure that food aid reached desired beneficiaries. It is hoped that this research will go a long way in articulating full-proof methodologies for development practitioners to reach out to targeted food aid beneficiaries in order to save succeeding generations from the scourge of extreme hunger and malnutrition.