The program assists vulnerable populations in urban and peri-urban
areas with livelihoods programs with the goal of restoring their
dignity, and reduces suffering. The response is holistic, bringing
together NGO expertise in education, livelihoods, HIV and AIDS, food
security, and child protection.
USAID through the Office of Disaster Assistance provided Mercy Corps
with US$2,5 million from May 2008 to April 2011. Nearly 10,000
individuals are expected to benefit from the funding over the 36- month
period.
The program started in the late 2005, when seven NGOs and a consortium
of donors gathered to discuss increasing poverty and vulnerability in
the urban and peri-urban areas of Zimbabwe. The situation had been
exacerbated by the government's Operation Murambatsvina (Drive Out the
Fifth), a clean-up campaign in which the government destroyed
illegal homes and market stands.
A UN report estimated that 700,000 people lost their homes or
livelihoods as a result of Operation Murambatsvina, and that more than
2.4 million people – almost 20% of the population – were indirectly
affected.