The programme started in 2012 with funding from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) which was channelled through United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP). MDTC has managed to implement food assistance in Mwenezi and Chiredzi targeting the most food insecure populations according to Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessments which are carried out on a yearly basis. Currently MDTC has reached 72 872 during peak hunger period in Mwenezi and 190 271 assisted people in Chiredzi district to have access to food assistance and engaging in complementary livelihood activities so as to gradually prepare them for offset from the need for seasonal food assistance. The Lean Season Assistance programme is complemented by livelihood activities aimed at strengthening community resilience for future shocks and stresses. To promote immediate, medium- and long-term benefits with the resources dedicated to the lean season response, trainings are provided on livelihood related complementary activities as a way of promoting the humanitarian-development nexus and adaptation to climate change. The LSA beneficiaries undertake complementary activities and/or receive trainings that improve their knowledge on animal husbandry, crop production, post-harvest management, financial skills, nutrition, village savings and lending, asset management, gender, protection etc. The trainings are aligned to the Seasonal Livelihood Calendar so that the people assisted can practically apply what they would have learnt. In addition, the assisted communities can perform light works to create productive assets that support food security and nutrition-related activities in their areas. Using tools like Community Based Participatory Planning (CBPP), people assisted may identify assets which they want to repair and maintain, as a way of enhancing their resilience, improve their livelihoods, food and nutrition security and minimize future food assistance needs. Some common light works include repair of feeder roads that link communities to the markets, maintenance of water sources, dip-tanks, gulley reclamations, etc. Communities participating in the trainings and the light works will enhance their skills, knowledge and livelihoods. Food distributions have been going on well in the COVID 19 environment with the assisted people maintaining adhering to COVID 19 preventative measures and WFP SOP(Standard Operating Procedure guideline such as social distancing, washing their hands and putting on face masks to minimize the spread of the pandemic.