Those receiving USD 25 or more a month are clearly benefiting importantly from remittances ‐ bearing in mind the grinding poverty of these families and that such an amount is enough to keep absolute starvation at bay. Those receiving money more erratically, and usually of rather small value, cannot in any way rely on diaspora funds as a means of survival. In short it is only the 17% of families receiving monthly remittances that can be considered to be benefiting usefully from having family abroad, with the remaining 83% benefiting only very occasionally or not at all. The usefulness of such remittances is relative too, to the excruciating poverty of these families: generally in Zimbabwe the poverty datum line for a family of four is considered to be more than $400 per month, so the $25‐50 being remitted monthly to a handful of families in this survey is simply holding death from starvation at bay, and is not enough to buy clothes, pay school fees or meet more than basic maize meal expenses. Graph 11: showing frequency of remittances from diaspora members never remitted 44 once or twice a year 39 monthly 17 0 10 20 35 30 40 50