MARGARET Moyo, a 70-year-old from Mangwe, Matabeleland South Province, was facing devastation after roaming animals destroyed her crops early this year.
The garden, which is close to her homestead, had been a vital food source for the septuagenarian, and also her eight grandchildren.
Her season's toil had come to nothing, further compounding her misery.
"I have lived with my grandchildren since the passing of my husband. I had high hopes of having a decent yield but that suffered a blow after low rains and donkeys destroyed them," said Moyo, with disappointment written on her face.
For a community that depends on agriculture as a source of livelihood, the incident came as a blow to the granny.
As a widow, with her children having migrated to neighbouring countries in search of better economic opportunities, life was already a struggle.
The dire hunger situation in Mangwe reflects a larger issue of food insecurity with people competing with animals for food.
Moyo's predicament is not unique in Mangwe rural district, which has not been spared from the vagaries of economic hardship.
Another villager, Mkumbuli Mpofu, a 66-year-old man, survives on Mopane worms, but his source of living has been disrupted by the lack of rainfall, leaving his household in a quandary.
"I live with my grandchildren who depend on me for survival. The few crops that we had pinned our hopes on have failed. I had livestock that we would sell during hard times, but they are no more," said Mpofu in an interview with NewZimbabwe.com.
Mopane worms that some gather for sale and consumption during the season in Mangwe have become a rare sight in the area.
Short in the arm
As the sun sets, Moyo grabs her corrugated four-legged pot as she prepares the evening's meal for her eight grandchildren who return from school.
Having endured the more than five kilometre-walk in the sweltering heat, the children are drained of energy, looking for respite.
Moyo's homestead has been given a boost through a cash grant provided by the Ministry of Social Services in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), with funding from Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau KfW Development Bank.
The Emergency Social Cash Transfer programme caters to vulnerable households by supporting them through monthly grants.
The monthly grants are plugging the hole that was left by the destruction of her crops.
Having been receiving her monthly stipends since last year, they are coming in handy for the majority of households in the rural areas.
"When I got maize from my fields, I used to exchange maize for some things I lacked in the house. The cash transfer has helped me in a big way. Now I am even rebuilding my house that was affected by a heavy wind.
"I can now feed my grandchildren who eat a lot. When schools were closed it was a challenge to feed them for just a day," said Moyo.
This, despite a high cost of living in the country, covers food basics in the rural areas lessening the burden.
Mangwe is one of the rural areas facing a hunger crisis caused by drought, leaving many in a predicament.
In a report released early this year titled: 'Tackling chronic poverty and acute food insecurity through social protection', UNICEF Zimbabwe highlighted the importance of the programme.
UNICEF Zimbabwe said the initiative strengthens social protection systems to the vulnerable.
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"Included in this programme is the Emergency Social Cash Transfer Programme. This is a 'shock responsive' social protection instrument that aims to bridge the humanitarian and development divide and support the strengthening of the social protection system and its reach across the country," read the report.
Moyo and Mpofu, are using the cash transfer system to invest in alternative livelihoods such as livestock rearing.
Both have taken advantage of the pieces of land to carry out their projects, a potential source of living aside from gathering mopane worms.
With this they are lessening food shortage burden.
"I am really grateful for the monthly stipends. They have come a long way in putting food on the table. Now I am buying goats for my projects. They told us that the stipends are not for groceries but other projects as well," said Mpofu.
