40% of these women were widows, with a further 20% being either single or divorced. This means that 60% of women interviewed were heading households on their own, with the balance having husbands either in the diaspora or working elsewhere. 20% of men interviewed were widowed, and a further 30% were single, with half being married. The average age of those heading households was 48 years, with the youngest being 17 years old (female) and the oldest being 87 years old (male). 10% of those interviewed had no education, with 45% each, having had primary school or high school education. 56% of households indicated that somebody in the family had a regular supply of income, either in Zimbabwe or in the Diaspora, but only 24% of families indicated that this person sent money back to the rural areas.45 The households interviewed encompassed a total of:  80 adults  87 children  68 grandchildren  24 orphans (excluding orphaned grandchildren) The daily living experiences of 258 people are therefore reflected in this survey. ii. Food security The food situation in this area at the level of households was found to be precarious. While mealie meal and other basic foods were found to be available ‐ in every instance at the level of the local store within easy walking distance ‐ only 17% of families were eating three meals a day during the first survey visit in mid September. A worrying 21% were eating one meal a day, either every day or most days, and in some instances this was consisting of plain maize porridge with no accompaniments, not even cooking oil or any kind of vegetable. Two families were eating only spinach with no maize meal to accompany this. 21% of families had NO maize meal whatsoever in the homestead on the day of the survey, while a further 26% had less than two days’ maize meal on hand. 21% of interviewees indicated that they had had a day with NO MEALS at all within the last week, with a further 26% indicating that they had had a day with no meals within the last few months. 12% of all families indicated that they “often” have a day without eating, at least every week or two. 45 There is a detailed analysis of diaspora remittances further ahead in this report. 23