As the world marks the 55th Earth Day, humanity is facing tough challenges to survive due to the worsening state of the planet Earth caused by unsustainable human activities.
Across the globe, communities are working together to find solutions to the worsening environment year after year. Yet, their food security, incomes, and health continue to be threatened by climate change, as they possess the fewest resources to cope with its impacts. Pollution prevention and biodiversity loss add to the dire situation.
The investment available for environmental protection is not enough to change the current state of the Earth; people need to change their attitudes and become more aware of the impact of their actions on the environment. Restoring the environment calls for living in harmony with nature, renewing commitments to invest in clean energy, reducing the production and consumption of new products, preventing pollution, and embracing sustainable, regenerative environment practices.
DAPP Zimbabwe is committed to protecting the planet, building communities and supporting people by connecting them with others in transformative and sustainable programmes, unleashing their potential for positive change and action.
An example is our Green Paths for You (Th) and Climate Project in Shamva District that is empowering 300 young people to drive environmental sustainability actions through training in four thematic courses: agroforestry, aquaculture, apiculture and horticulture. These courses respond to local market demands while considering climate-related aspects. By integrating climate-smart agriculture training with interactive learning methods, youths gain skills and knowledge to protect the environment while generating income.
Despite environmental challenges, restoring the planet is achievable. It only requires actions that inspire hope and empower communities to build resilience against the impacts of climate change. DAPP Zimbabwe recognizes the significance of collective action in the fight to restore the planet’s ecosystem by collaborating with partners and governments to enhance sustainable practices that protect the Earth.
DAPP Zimbabwe is proud to share its 2024 Annual Progress Report, showcasing the organization’s achievements in promoting sustainable development across the country.
With over 40 years of experience, DAPP Zimbabwe has been complementing government efforts through implementing short and long-term development projects in five thematic areas: Health, Agriculture, Education, Community Development, and Emergency. The 2024 report reflects a collective effort that has made a significant impact on people’s lives in Mashonaland Central, Manicaland and Masvingo provinces.
In the year 2024, our presence impacted the lives of 258,000 individuals from all circles. Notably, DAPP worked with 4,622 smallholder farmers using innovative models like Farmers’ Clubs and From Communal to Commercial Farmer, resulting in strengthened farmers’ resilience and improved agriculture production. Additionally, 692 students received support from Early Childhood Development to tertiary level, while life skills and vocational training enhanced employability and self-employment opportunities for youth.
The organization’s health projects empowered individuals and communities to take an active role in their own health through person-centered care models. By prioritizing awareness on HIV, TB, reproductive health, hygiene, and sanitation, DAPP reached 115,000 people with TB and HIV information. Community Development projects worked with 1,831 families promoting children’s rights through a family-centered approach.
DAPP Zimbabwe pledges to continue working shoulder-to-shoulder with communities to improve their lives and promote sustainable development. The organization’s success is attributed to the collective effort of its staff, volunteers, government, stakeholders, and valuable partners.
Over the past two and half years, the colliding AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics along with economic and humanitarian crises have placed the global HIV response under increasing threat (UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2022). Despite Zimbabwe’s progress in combating TB and achieving the 95-95-95 UNAIDS target, TB continues to pose a substantial threat to public health, necessitating sustained efforts to eradicate it.
The gap between health needs and the resources available to meet them is alarmingly wide. By taking immediate action and investing more in HIV and TB healthcare, the global health community can save lives, enhance well-being, and promote the rights through building stronger and more resilient health systems for all.
As DAPP Zimbabwe, our health programmes mainly respond to the HIV epidemic, TB, malaria and malnutrition. We have established project structures, but the true strength of our health programmes lies in our connections with the communities we serve.
On this day, April 7th, 2025, as the World commemorates the 77th World Health Day, we take the opportunity to highlight the work of some of our projects in the health sector, HOPE Bindura and TC TB Makoni, which are committed to prioritising HIV/AIDS and TB in urban and rural District areas.
The HOPE Bindura project, established in 1998, empowers individuals through a people-centred approach, providing free HIV testing, counselling and preventive services. The project also promotes safer sexual practices and skills-building initiatives for adolescent girls and young women in Bindura urban and rural Mashonaland Central.
HOPE Bindura empowers individuals to take charge of their health, make informed choices and foster resilience and dignity.
The TC TB Makoni project in Manicaland province aligns with the National TB Strategic Plan, aiming to reduce TB and contribute to the global goal of ending TB by 2030. Through community-led interventions, the project provides comprehensive support to co-infected individuals, including antiretroviral therapy and TB treatment and works towards Universal Health Coverage.
By harnessing the collective efforts of local leaders, community volunteers and extension officers, the TC TB Makoni project helps to reduce stigma and discrimination against those affected with TB and HIV.
This year’s World Health day is running under the theme; Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures.
DAPP Zimbabwe has launched an emergency program focused on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and multi-purpose cash transfers to address the effects of the El Nino-induced drought in Epworth District, Harare Metropolitan Province. The program, titled Humanitarian Action to Mitigate the Effects of El Nino-Induced Drought (HAMED), will run for seven months from the 1st of March 2025 to the 30th of September 2025 funded by Humana Portugal through FPP Spain for the Funding support. The program aims to improve food security for 1,585 individuals affected by the drought (equivalent to 317 households) through mobile multi-purpose cash transfers in wards 3, 6, and 7. Additionally, it will enhance WASH infrastructure benefiting at least 12,000 people across wards 1 to 7 in the Epworth District.
This program came about after Zimbabwe in 2024 experienced severe El Niño-induced drought resulting in widespread crop failure, water resource depletion and stress on pastures. The most affected areas include peri-urban regions, home to almost half of the population with over 40% of them experiencing food insecurity. The President of Zimbabwe had to declare the El Niño-induced drought a National Disaster calling for emergency aid. Additionally, the existing social assistance programs have limited coverage and effectiveness hindering their ability to mitigate the impact of such shocks. Therefore, it is from this background that the HAMED project was launched as an emergency program.
For Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), the program aims to solarize and equip at least six boreholes, as well as train water point committees and borehole pump minders. Additionally, small vegetable gardens will be established at the boreholes to improve household nutrition. A total of 317 households will benefit from receiving two water buckets each for storing clean drinking water. The project will also conduct health and hygiene campaigns to reduce the risk of cholera outbreaks. Beneficiaries will receive mobile multi-purpose cash transfers from May 2025 to August 2025. Furthermore, the program will assist cash transfer beneficiaries in establishing Internal Savings and Lending (ISAL) groups while existing ISAL groups will be strengthened.
To achieve the set goals and objectives, the program will primarily collaborate with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, the Epworth Local Board and other key stakeholders during implementation.
Each year, the 24th of March marks World Tuberculosis Day. TB continues to be a global health threat despite progress, and multiple challenges make it difficult to end TB by 2030.
TB is more than a health issue; it is a developmental issue, and children suffer the most in the face of TB. Finding undetected TB cases is key in the fight against TB; when people come together, they can prevent TB from spreading further within communities and reduce its global burden.
The emerging drug-resistant strains of TB, rising co-infection, climate change, malnutrition, stigma and discrimination threaten to reverse the gains made over the years. Ending TB requires an inclusive, sustainable and effective response by including TB-affected communities to be heard, supported, and participate towards achieving the Global End TB 2030 Strategy.
“For the first time in the history of tuberculosis, we have treatment regimens that are just 6 months long – for both so-called “regular” TB and drug-resistant TB. Just imagine – we can confirm a diagnosis of TB and drug resistance within hours and start treatment at once. A few years ago, we probably wouldn’t have thought this possible”, says- Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
Over the past 15 years, Humana People to People members have carried out TB projects impacting over 18.5 million people. We have built community-based networks of passionate local volunteers who are at the centre of bringing TB services to the people at the community level. We have given emotional and nutritional support to people taking daily TB medication and given them funds to meet transport costs related to accessing services. We have worked with health facilities and staff to provide health services. We are proud of our impact across diverse communities, countries and continents.
Development Aid from People to People in Zimbabwe (DAPP), one of the Humana People to People Movement members, prioritises sustainable community TB response through the Total Control of TB Makoni project. The project is aligned with Zimbabwe’s National TB Strategic Plan (2021-2025) to reduce TB incidence and attain the UNAIDS HIV 95-95-95 targets.
The project reduces the burden of HIV and, AIDS, and TB by addressing stigma and discrimination through raising awareness and improving diagnosis and treatment services in 59 health facilities. Communities, together with the project, take the lead in reducing new infections, increasing case finding and testing, and providing appropriate packages of treatment, care and support to HIV and TB-infected people in the community.
The project supports people affected by TB by forming TRIOs for treatment adherence. Each TRIO consists of a person suffering from TB and two supporters who provide daily encouragement and assistance, significantly improving the likelihood of treatment completion. The project prioritises nutrition by supporting TB-affected families in establishing nutrition gardens and training them on local climate adaptation strategies and savings clubs to strengthen their income.
The project provided a GeneXpert machine and X-ray cartridges to the Makoni district hospital to improve TB diagnosis. In the past seven years, the project has reached more than 100,000 people with HIV and TB messages, tested 10,240 presumptive cases, and diagnosed 412 people with TB.
We recognise the unified global efforts to end TB, and there is hope for a future where TB will no longer be a public health threat. It takes sustained political will to continue funding TB programmes, strengthening health systems and community engagement to work towards achieving the goal of ending TB and saving millions of lives by 2030.
Humana People to People, together with its members, is committed to ending TB by carrying out sustainable community TB programmes in TB-affected communities. At the centre of our TB programmes are our people to people approaches, which have proven that when people come together and take a stand to face challenges collectively, they can overcome and thrive, leaving no one behind.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day on the 8th of March, the world is facing a gender inequality crisis. The trend put the hard-won gains at risk, despite substantive progress made towards achieving gender equality.
According to the United Nations Development 2024 report, 80% of food production in developing countries is done by women, however, less than 1 in 5 smallholder farmers owning land are women [UNDP 2024].
This year’s theme, “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment”, calls for inclusive conversation to confront gender equality challenges and pave the way forward to deliver permanent acceleration towards equal opportunities and rights for women and girls.
It is impossible to achieve sustainable development when women’s potential remains constrained by inequality and discrimination. Increasing access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and decision-making power gives women the bargaining power to practice their agency and thrive in society. Women’s contributions are essential to creating a sustainable future for everyone, thus, investing in women and girls remains the best investment.
Since 1980, DAPP Zimbabwe has collaborated with the government to foster a more equitable society, promoting women’s and girls’ access to education, economic empowerment, safe working environments, and civic participation.
One success story of the Tamuka Internal Savings and Lending group from Ward 16, Sikero Village, Musiiwa in Shamva! Which started in 2022. This group of 18 members contributes $10 monthly, pooling their resources to save. They also lend each other the money at a 20% interest rate, repayable within an agreed-upon timeframe. At the end of the 2024, the group combines their savings and accrued interest to purchase essential items such as agricultural inputs, food items and educational materials worth USD $4,320. These items are then shared equally among the members.
DAPP’s initiatives have a broad reach, spanning multiple projects. In our agricultural projects, women are empowered through active participation in farming and Internal Savings and Lending Schemes (ISALS), acquiring new skills that enhance their household income and decision-making power. Through collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs, DAPP addresses persistent disparities affecting women, youth and persons with disabilities, striving to improve their socio-economic status.
Furthermore, DAPP’s vocational skills training programs at Ponesai Vanhu Technical College (PVTC) offers young women, including adolescent girls and persons with disabilities, a pathway to education and economic independence, enabling them to build sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families.
