Participatory Design In Action

Completion of the Mutsvangwa Clinic this month showcases the benefits of design processes which consult the community on their needs. This month, a major milestone was reached under the ZIRP with the completion of Mutsvangwa Maternal Health Clinic in Ward 23, Chimanimani District. Located approximately 10 kilometres from the Mozambican border, the Mutsvangwa Clinic serves […]

Read More

Re-using cyclone debris to build back better agricultural infrastructure in Manicaland

The village of Nyanyadzi has a sensitive relationship with water. Situated at the confluence of three rivers: the Odzi, the Save, and the Nyanyadzi,  “there is plenty of water here,” confirms Edmore Mutsavi, a UNOPS agricultural engineer. Yet with a climate characterized by high temperatures and low rainfall, Nyanyadzi faces both vulnerability to flooding and […]

Read More

Survivor-centered approach in restoring community infrastructure in cyclone affected communities

A study by World Bank, (2010) reveals that most projects hardly make deliberate efforts to ensure participation and involvement of the community. Most donor funded projects are not sufficiently flexible to apply proven principles of community development, build local ownership and allow adequate time to build counterpart knowledge and skills threatens the ideals of development. […]

Read More

Improving access to quality and inclusive education through sustainable infrastructure

Quality and resilient infrastructure places learners on a pathway to inclusive quality education. Children with better infrastructure generally tend to perform better in school than those without. In this light, UNOPS Zimbabwe under Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project is building back better school infrastructure that was destroyed by Cyclone Idai. Seven schools are currently under construction. […]

Read More

Multiple Water Use, a sustainability strategy for Zvipiripiri Piped Water Scheme

The availability of safe drinking water for human consumption and livestock has always been a challenge in Mutare Rural District. The district experienced recurrent droughts in the past decade with annual rainfall averaging only between 450 and 600 mm. The main sources of domestic water have been boreholes, deep wells, sand abstraction and rivers, most […]

Read More

From Recovery to Resilience in the Zimbabwean Highlands

Zimbabwe is exposed to multiple weather-related hazards. It periodically experiences cyclones, droughts, floods and related landslides, which in turn spawn health epidemics. To compound matters, climate change is increasing both the frequency and intensity of the tropical storms and cyclones in this region. As part of the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project funded through the World […]

Read More

Collaboration and integration of UN agencies under ZIRP improves agricultural productivity in irrigation schemes

“Before ZIRP, the scheme was operating at less than 41%. All the activities that have been implemented here by the different partners have restored productivity of the scheme to what it was in 1997 when the scheme started,” Lovemore Mboko, the chairperson of Maunganidze Irrigation Schemes beams. He outlines the various interventions which the scheme […]

Read More

Promoting Sanitation through Hygiene Laboratories in Schools

Poor personal hygiene and inadequate sanitation practices among young children leads to communicable diseases. Good health and education are vital components of a child’s early development. Schools, especially in rural areas, can play a pivotal role of improving learners health by implementing sanitation and hygiene management practices and running promotional activities. Through ZIRP funding from […]

Read More

Multiple Water Use, a Sustainability strategy for Zvipiripiri Solar Powered Piped Water Scheme in Mutare Rural District

The availability of safe drinking water for human consumption and livestock has always been a challenge in Mutare Rural District. The district experienced recurrent droughts in the past decade with annual rainfall averaging only between 450 and 600 mm. The main sources of domestic water have been boreholes, deep wells, sand abstraction and rivers, most […]

Read More