The aim of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) programme in Zimbabwe is to contribute effectively to the national response to HIV/AIDS and to provide direct support to the poorest and most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe.

DFID spent £33 million in 2006/07, through multilateral agencies and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), making the UK one of the three largest donors in Zimbabwe.

Health and HIV initiatives

Behaviour Change Communications (£20 million)

DFID’s consistent support to HIV and AIDS prevention programme over the last decade has helped contribute to the slight decline in the numbers of people living with AIDS. However at 18% the HIV prevalence rate is still one of the highest in the world. DFID will provide £20 million to a five year behaviour change programme co-funded with USAID. This funding enables Population Services International (PSI) to develop communication campaigns to address issues such as HIV related stigma and multiple partnerships, as well as increasing HIV prevention services and availability of socially marketed male and female condoms.

Strengthening the International Response to HIV and AIDS (£18.5 million)

DFID Zimbabwe is supporting the scale up the HIV response including increased access to Anti-Retroviral Therapy. We will support the Expanded Support Programme (ESP) for HIV/AIDS, Prevention and Treatment, a multi-donor common funding mechanism that supports the National Strategy for HIV and AIDS, relies on UN agencies for implementation, and managed by a working group made up of government, donors, UN agencies and civil society. The ESP aims to support universal access by 2010 for all Zimbabweans in need of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART). In the first three years, the beneficiaries of this support will be the 30,000 poor people living with HIV and AIDS who are currently unable to access ART as well as millions more through inclusive prevention, testing and diagnosis and safe blood services.

Maternal and Newborn Programme (£25 million)

DFID is working with others to develop a programme to reduce in maternal and infant mortality with other partners. This programme aims to protect the lives of mothers and newborns, especially those affected by HIV and AIDS and to maintain access to family planning services, including contraceptives and to lifesaving obstetric services and newborn care. The programme will build the evidence base about obstacles to sexual and reproductive care, infant feeding for HIV exposed babies after 6 months, and will support a national maternal and perinatal mortality study in Zimbabwe to inform policy options.

Immunisation and Malaria Prevention (£2.67 million)

DFID is committed to supporting the reduction of child mortality. DFID has provided UNICEF over £2.6 million to combat infectious diseases threatening the lives of women and children, including the provision of insecticide treated bed nets to protect against malaria and over £2m to support the national vaccination programme.

Support to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (£22 million)

Zimbabwe has the highest proportion of children orphaned by AIDS in the world. Over 25% of all children have lost one or both parents (UNICEF 2005). Together with other donors we have given £22 million to a multi-donor programme of support managed by UNICEF to implement the National Plan of Action in Zimbabwe. This will support orphans and vulnerable children across the country including support to keep children in school and to provide protection from all forms of abuse, this will be implemented through civil society organisation.

Food Security

Protracted Relief Programme (£30 million)

The DFID funded Protracted Relief Programme assists the poorest and most vulnerable households suffering from the effects of erratic weather, economic decline and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The main objective is to reduce the need for food aid by increasing food production by the poorest and also to improve access to water and sanitation, and provide care to the chronically ill. The programme is reaching over 1.5 million poor and vulnerable people. The programme will end in July 2007, and we are working with others to design a new five year programme.

Joint Initiative support to urban poor (£1.1 million)

DFID and other donors are working with a group of NGOs to address growing urban poverty. The Joint Initiative is a multi-donor programme targeting over 700,000 urban poor in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Masvingo and Gweru.

Humanitarian

International Organisation for Migration (£5 million)

DFID Zimbabwe has recently approved a three year multi-donor programme of support to IOM in a multi-donor framework. The programme provides emergency assistance (food, non food items, and temporary shelter) to mobile and vulnerable populations along with humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwean deportees at the Beitbridge Reception Centre. DFID is also the only donor supporting the nationwide information campaign on safe migration. ‘Famba Zvakanaka’.

Support to Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) (£150,000)

DFID continues to support OCHA for the co-ordination of the humanitarian response in Zimbabwe.

Emergency Food Appeal (£3 million)

In November last year DFID approved a contribution of £3,000,000 to help finance the Regional WFP Protracted Relief and Recovery Programme (PRRO). This will be used to support the WFP Vulnerable Group Feeding Programme and IOM’s longer term internally displaced people’s’ feeding programme. We are monitoring the current crop situation closely.