HARARE, 9. June 2009: The International Red Cross (ICRC) has been working in Zimbabwe for almost 30 years, but since the beginning of 2009 there has been a clear shift towards emergency operations.
The ICRC has shifted its priorities in Zimbabwe, helping the authorities to cope with the cholera outbreak and alleviating food shortages in prisons. Why?
Years of economic hardship have affected many Zimbabweans’ access to health care, food and water. Recent months have seen a certain increase in regional and international support, but long-term investment will be needed to rebuild the country’s public services. The needs are huge, many people live in great poverty, and food production is unlikely to rise in the near future.
At the end of 2008, the ICRC and its partners in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement started to help the authorities deal with the cholera outbreak in the country, the worst epidemic to hit the country in 14 years.
The ICRC has been supporting eight clinics in Harare’s densely populated suburbs since mid-2008 and 13 other health facilities in rural areas for number of years.
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Kilde: Internationalt Røde Kors
