CERF allocates $5.5 million in response to the spread of measles in Zimbabwe
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Mothers and children in Zimbabwe
[Photo: UNICEF]
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28 April 2010: CERF allocates $5.5 million for about 5 million children in Zimbabwe, who need to be protected from the spread of measles.
Together with the Government of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Welfare (MOHCW), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) will receive $3.5 and $2 million respectively to immunize 95 percent of children between the ages of 6 months and 14 years in Zimbabwe during a ten-day, nationwide campaign. In spite of an initial response which included the vaccination of more than 148,000 children in 23 districts since the beginning of the outbreak in September 2009, the incidence of measles has been on the rise and more than 6,200 cumulative cases, including 384 fatalities, have now been reported in 57 out of 62 districts across Zimbabwe.
WHO and UNICEF will provide further technical assistance in planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring of the measles outbreak response. CERF funding will allow UNICEF to provide logistical support to the nationwide campaign, including ensuring that all measles vaccines, and the equipment to keep them cold are delivered quickly to all 62 districts. CERF funds will also help UNICEF to produce and distribute educational materials ahead of the campaign, to inform the population. For its part, WHO will use CERF funding to support critical micro-planning activities and refresher training of roughly 14,000 people including health workers needed to carry out a campaign of this scale. A portion of these funds will also go towards the planning and monitoring activities required to ensure the high coverage. The implementation will be carried out in collaboration with Health Cluster members including NGOs and Red Cross movement at the district and provincial levels with complementary resources.
[Last updated: 6 May 2010]
CERF allocates $5 million for protracted relief and recovery operation in Zimbabwe
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Families eating food rations from WFP
[Photo: WFP]
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14 January 2010: Zimbabwe is still in a major economic crisis with 94 percent unemployment, industries working at less than 40 percent of capacity, rock bottom private sector confidence, little cash circulating among the vast majority of Zimbabweans, and barter trade estimated at 37 percent in rural areas.
In addition, the overall humanitarian needs in the country are still pressing. According to the recently launched 2010 CAP for Zimbabwe, an estimated six million vulnerable people will continue to feel the impact of the erosion of basic services and livelihoods over the past years.
In response to the situation, CERF allocated $5 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) for protracted relief and recovery operation for approximately 1.6 million people in Zimbabwe.
[Last updated: 22 January 2010]