Humanitarian Assistance Program The political and economic problems experienced by Zimbabwe during the programming period created a humanitarian crisis to many Zimbabweans and the prisoners were not spared. From the situational analysis of the prisons - food shortages were rampant in the penal institutions. This saw offenders in most prisons having at least one meal per day while porridge did not have sugar and the relish – mainly vegetables without salt and The high level of food cooking oil. This saw a significant increase in death and clothing crisis faced rates in the prisons. Nutrition deficiency related illnesses by offenders in all such as pellagra and kwashiorkor affected many offenders. prisons forced ZACRO to These suffered weight loss, while opportunistic infections step up intervention such as diarrhea and herpes affected them too. Some of those efforts and offered humanitarian assistance on ART resorted to stop taking medication after suffering to the target group. effects involving taking medication without food. ZACRO had to step up efforts involving sourcing and channeling humanitarian assistance mainly in form of food and cloths to some of the prisons. Hence gratitude is posted to the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) which channeled food stuffs in form of maize, beans and cooking oil which were distributed to the prisoners, exoffenders and dependants with the later serviced under the half way home project. This saw 33 released inmates paying courtesy call at the half way home at the ZACRO headquarters in Harare seeking various forms of humanitarian assistance and were given food by the organization. Most of these ex-inmates and dependants of those incarcerated covered under the half way home project were helped subject to their needs which encompassed humanitarian and restoration needs. As noted by ZACRO welfare manager, Ms Patronela Bhunhu - the high level of mainly food and clothing crisis faced by offenders in all prisons left ZACRO without choice except to step up efforts and offer humanitarian assistance to the target group. Analysis conducted by programming staff revealed that the death rate had significantly increased because of lack of food in the country’s prisons. Thus upon joining ZACRO the Development Worker, Mrs Ponde identified needs of inmates at four prisons. She was engaged in resource mobilization for children in prisons and sick inmates. She approached Adventist Relief Agency (ADRA) and sourced supplementary food for sick women prisoners and their children in prisons which included Mutimurefu in Masvingo, Marondera, Chikurubi female and Harare Central. Hence ZACRO managed to foster good relationship with ADRA which donated 77 boxes of food staffs for the women prisoners and their children in the prisons. Also Mrs. Ponde linked ZACRO with FAVCO - a company that deals with fruit and vegetables. The result ZACRO managed to obtain vegetables from FAVCO and distributed these to Chikurubi Female and Harare Central prisons on 1 July 2008. 31