Preliminary Appeal

Zimbabwe

Food Insecurity - AFZW81

Preliminary Target: US$ 4,486,728

Balance Requested from ACT Alliance: US$ 3,765,728

Geneva, 16 September 2008

The ban on aid agencies and NGOs involved in humanitarian and development work in Zimbabwe has been lifted and members of ACT International in country Christian Care and the Lutheran Development Services are preparing to scale up their response in Zimbabwe.

ACT members in Zimbabwe have been forced to suspend all fieldwork and a planned joint ACT assessment in Zimbabwe on the orders of the government since June 4th this year. The ban prohibited the distribution of food to more than 2 million Zimbabweans in urgent need. Plans to deliver seeds and livestock for the next agricultural season were also put on hold. This prelimary appeal contains programs to deliver badly needed aid in the sectors of general food aid, school feeding, food recovery and psychosocial support.

Given Zimbabwe's economic collapse, food insecurity is not just limited to rural areas, but is now also a real threat to poor urban families. ACT members in Zimbabwe are preparing a preliminary appeal to assist 47,275 people with food aid in Masvingo, Midlands, Gwanda, Beitbridge, Matebeleland South, Provinces, as well as in several urban centres across the country including Harare and Bulawayo. The ACT members are planning to carry out a joint assessment, and expect to use this information in preparing a full appeal in the coming weeks.

Project Completion Date: to be determined by Full Appeal

Reporting schedule: Every two weeks during the first month, the members receiving a Preliminary Appeal funding advance will submit a brief (one-two page) Situation Report to the ACT CO, summarizing activities undertaken and progress made in the emergency response. Photographs and human interest stories should accompany the reports. Thereafter, reports will be submitted according to standard Appeal reporting. Specific dates will be set once the full appeal is finalized.

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FOR THE FULL APPEAL TEXT AND BUDGET (PDF FILE), KINDLY VISIT THE ACT SITE. THANK YOU. _____________________________________________________________________________________

Please kindly send your contributions to either of the following ACT bank accounts:

US dollar

Account Number - 240-432629.60A

IBAN No: CH46 0024 0240 4326 2960A

Euro

Euro Bank Account Number - 240-432629.50Z

IBAN No: CH84 0024 0240 4326 2950Z

Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches Together

UBS AG

8, rue du Rhône

P.O. Box 2600

1211 Geneva 4, SWITZERLAND

Swift address: UBSWCHZH80A

Please also inform the Finance Officer Jessie Kgoroeadira (jkg@act-intl.org) and the Programme Officer, Michael Hyden (mhy@act-intl.org), of all pledges/contributions and transfers, including funds sent direct to the implementers, now that the Pledge Form is no longer attached to the Appeal.

We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

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ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.