HARARE, Aug. 7 (NewsDay Live) – The European Union (EU) has committed US$345 000 in emergency humanitarian funding to help Zimbabwe combat a worsening cholera outbreak while supporting thousands of citizens returning from South Africa following recent violence targeting foreign nationals.
The six-month intervention, implemented through the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) in partnership with the government, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organisations, will provide lifesaving assistance to vulnerable communities affected by the twin crises.
According to Peter Biro, regional information officer for the Great Lakes, East and Southern Africa at the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the funding is aimed at strengthening Zimbabwe’s response to both the expanding cholera outbreak and the growing influx of returnees.
“The funding will help provide lifesaving assistance to thousands of people in urgent need while strengthening Zimbabwe’s capacity to respond to the cholera outbreak and the growing number of returnees,” Biro said in a statement released on Thursday.
The EU said more than 5 000 vulnerable returnees will receive emergency assistance after nearly 110 000 Zimbabweans crossed back into the country between April and July 28, placing significant pressure on reception facilities at Beitbridge Border Post.
Many returnees are spending nights at the Beitbridge transit centre while waiting for transport to their home areas, exposing them to harsh winter conditions, overcrowding and inadequate shelter.
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The programme will provide emergency accommodation, food, blankets, safe drinking water, healthcare, hygiene supplies and other essential relief items. It also includes psychosocial support, protection services and Restoring Family Links (RFL) programmes to reunite families separated during migration.
Women, children, older persons and people living with disabilities have been identified as priority beneficiaries. Women and girls, who account for an estimated 65% of returning migrants, will receive targeted protection, health and dignity support.
The funding will also bolster Zimbabwe’s response to a cholera outbreak first detected in Rushinga District in January before spreading to parts of Manicaland and the Midlands provinces.
According to the EU, cases have since been recorded in Nyanga, Mutasa, Mutare, Chipinge, Chimanimani and Zvishavane, with mining communities and border districts emerging as transmission hotspots due to limited access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services.
About 88 200 people are expected to benefit from cholera prevention and response activities, including volunteer training, enhanced disease surveillance, early case detection and referrals, hygiene promotion, household water treatment and rapid community response measures.
Zimbabwe has endured recurrent cholera outbreaks for more than two decades, highlighting persistent deficiencies in water infrastructure, sanitation systems and public health services.
At the same time, economic hardship has driven many Zimbabweans to seek employment in neighbouring South Africa, where periodic outbreaks of xenophobic violence have repeatedly forced thousands to return home, placing additional strain on humanitarian resources and border reception facilities.
The latest EU intervention is intended to provide immediate humanitarian relief while strengthening disease prevention efforts and community resilience.
The EU and its member states remain the world’s largest humanitarian donors, supporting emergency responses through ECHO and the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), which finances rapid interventions during small- and medium-scale disasters worldwide.