By Staff Reporter
The European Union has committed US$345,000 in emergency funding to help Zimbabwe manage a surge of returnees from South Africa and contain a cholera outbreak spreading across several districts, putting pressure on already stretched humanitarian and public-health systems.
The funding, announced on Thursday, will be channelled through the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society over six months, targeting more than 5,000 vulnerable returnees with emergency shelter, food, blankets, clean water, healthcare, hygiene supplies and other essential assistance.
The scale of the movement is underscored by figures showing that nearly 110,000 people crossed into Zimbabwe through Beitbridge Border Post between April and July 28, following violence targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.
The influx has placed additional pressure on reception facilities at the border, with some returnees spending nights there while waiting for transport to their home areas.
Women and girls are expected to be a particular focus of the response, accounting for an estimated 65 percent of the returning population. The program will provide targeted health, protection, and dignity services, while older people, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups will also be prioritised.
Beyond immediate relief, the package includes psychosocial support, protection services, and Restoring Family Links initiatives to help reconnect family members separated during the movement.
But the humanitarian operation is also being deployed against a second and potentially compounding threat: cholera.
The outbreak was first detected in Rushinga District in January and has since spread to districts in Manicaland and Midlands, including Nyanga, Mutasa, Mutare City, Chipinge, Chimanimani and Zvishavane.
Mining communities and border areas have emerged as key hotspots, where gaps in access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene are increasing the risk of transmission.
The EU-funded cholera response is expected to reach approximately 88,200 people, supporting the training and deployment of volunteers for community surveillance, early detection, and referral of suspected cases.
It will also finance hygiene campaigns, household water-treatment initiatives, and rapid-response measures in affected communities.
The twin operations reflect the pressure created when population movements and public-health vulnerabilities converge, particularly in border and mining communities where water and sanitation infrastructure is already under strain.
Implementation will be coordinated with the Government of Zimbabwe, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations, and other humanitarian partners.
The EU is one of the world’s largest humanitarian donors and a major contributor to the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund, which provides rapid financing for emergencies and humanitarian crises.
