Even in a country with high profile problems such as Zimbabwe, it is still possible to help those most in need at a grassroots level, according to CAFOD regional manager Jane Adisu.
"The words and phrases we hear from the news associated with Zimbabwe are things such as: 'chronic poverty, imminent genocide, devastating impact of drought, breakdown of government and the health system, tanks rolling through the streets of Harare'.
"When you are living there, sometimes the reality of what you see is quite different. What you hear and see on the news does not provide the shades of grey and does not always capture the complexities of what seems to be happening around you."
Jane works as CAFOD's regional manager for Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and has been based in Harare since 2003.
As a former VSO programme director from 1993-1997 in Zimbabwe, she has significant experience of the country and has witnessed many changes.
Bridging the gap
Livelihoods are crucial to the survival of a country that has been ravaged by the impact of HIV and AIDS, and a key approachin this area is a "protracted relief" programme - which attempts to bridge the gap between emergency relief and long-term development.
Jane says: "Food and drought are not underlying reasons for poverty in Zimbabwe, it is HIV and AIDS."
"The degree of infection, illness, and death affects everybody -- the illness, the time off work, the funerals, the impact on children and their sense of well being, the absolute change to the lives and responsibilities of women and elderly people. It has devastated the fabric of society.
"From a livelihoods perspective, it is essential to think about people and look at what affects their daily lives. People need food, safe water, money. With HIV and AIDS, there may not be enough people available to plant the family's crops, or the means to pay school fees or access adequate health care -- your life can rapidly deteriorate."
Taking these issues into account, the livelihoods programme concentrates on three key areas: improving the capacity for individual households to provide for their food needs (for example, helping each family develop a small manageable garden for growing their own vegetables), better water and sanitation supply, and ensuring people are prepared for the practical effects of HIV and AIDS (such as getting adequate nutrition, coping with sick family members, drawing up wills etc).
"All decisions made, whether about whose well to deepen, or which seeds to plant, need to be informed by considering the impact of HIV and AIDS on everyone."
A co-ordinated approach
CAFOD rolled out the programme in eight of Zimbabwe's 57 districts, with the aim of helping around 30,000 households (and the average household is considered to be five people).
It is a programme shared with other development agencies active in the country as part of the DFID's Protracted Relief Programme for Zimbabwe, so overall it enjoys nationwide coverage. Activities include rural seed fairs, community-based agricultural training, and promotion of small livestock such as chickens and goats.
Jane says: "We have developed our part in the programme with five partner organisations at a grassroots level, each of which have adapted the plan based on the needs of communities around them and in liaison with local authorities."
"In developing the livelihoods programme in Zimbabwe we really had to look afresh at the critical issues in collaboration with CAFOD partners, and identify what is was that we could do to help."
Making use of natural resources is an important part of life for rural households - and there is scope to increase the extraction and processing of natural resource products such as mopani worms, Makoni tea, and moringa tree produce in order to promote business enterprise as well as contribute towards good nutrition.
"One of the clear intentions is to work in a collaborative way not only between CAFOD and the appointed partners but to also enable partner organisations in turn to network and combine forces with local authorities, organisations and community leaders in each district and ward. We believe this creates a more sustainable approach."
In terms of how the livelihoods programme will develop in the future, Jane is keen to continue the focus on HIV and AIDS work and to build on experiences gained in order to contribute to policy development at national and regional level.
"To do this, we need to continue to review how we are doing and learn from the challenges we are faced with.
"We need to assess whether we are meeting our purpose of strengthening the capacity of households to secure their livelihoods in order to reduce the impact of poverty, enhance dignity and increase participation."