HARARE -- United Nations assistant secretary general for humanitarian affairs Catherine Bragg last week hailed great progress towards recovery in Zimbabwe but urged international donors to maintain support to the country. Bragg, who had earlier in the week said Zimbabwes humanitarian situation remains fragile, sounded more optimistic last Wednesday, saying even though the country still needed foreign assistance it had achieved progress in some areas since last February when a new power-sharing government came into office.
“It has been refreshing to see great progress in so many aspects that worried us in February. I trust this positive trend will continue through working together,” said Bragg, who last Monday launched a US$378 million appeal for humanitarian assistance for Zimbabwe for the next 12 months.
The money Bragg is seeking for Zimbabwe will be channelled into several key areas with agriculture getting US$107 million, health US$63 million, food aid US$58 million, education US$35 million, water and sanitation US$46 million and the remainder will cater for nutrition and other needs.
Despite improvements in food security, the southern African country faces a substantial national cereal deficit and about 1.9 million people will need food assistance at the peak of the 2010 hunger season from January to March 2010.
According to the UN, almost 343 600 adults and 35 200 children under 15 years urgently need antiretroviral (ARV) treatment out of 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS while child malnutrition remains a challenge, with 33 percent of children under the age of five chronically malnourished and seven percent suffering from acute malnutrition.
The countrys education sector continues to face severe shortages of essential supplies and a high staff turnover.
On the other hand, relief agencies say the onset of the new rainy season some weeks ago could trigger a fresh outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe where six million people or half of the countrys total population of 12 million people remain with little or no access to safe water and sanitation.
A cholera epidemic that the World Health organization labeled the worst in Africa in more than 15 years killed 4 288 Zimbabweans out of 98 592 infections between August 2008 and July 2009.
However Zimbabwe as noted by Bragg — has also shown firm signs of recovery following the formation of a power-sharing government by President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
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