This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

211332Z Feb 06

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 
 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶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. 
 
----------- 
Background 
----------- 
 
¶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. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Community Members Heavily Involved in Labor- 
Intensive Process 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶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. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶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