The European Union Allocates €150,000 in response to Tanzania Cholera Outbreak

Inresponse to the recent cholera epidemic in Tanzania, the European Union has allocated €150,000 (close to 414 million Tanzanian Schilling)in humanitarian aid funding. The support aims to assist the country in containing the outbreak, which poses a significant risk to over 4 million people.

Cholera outbreaks continue to surge in Tanzania, with 13 regions affected since early January 2024. Official reports indicate more than 1,500 reported cases and 34 fatalities.The EU funding will bolster the efforts of the Tanzanian Red Cross Society (TRCS) in providing much-needed relief, including clean water, healthcare, sanitation and hygiene.

The project will run for three months, until the end of May 2024, and is expected to reach 178,000 people in the hardest hit areas of Kagera, Mwanza and Shinyanga regions.

The funding is part of the EU's overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Tanzania is currently facing its most severe cholera outbreak in almost forty years. The widespread epidemic is exacerbated by heavy rainfall due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, overwhelming wastewater systems and other infrastructure, particularly in densely populated regions.

Without urgent action to repair infrastructure, improve water management and promote changes in hygiene practices, Tanzania could face a prolonged epidemic, with the risk of the disease spreading to neighboring countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi from major Tanzanian transportation hubs like Mwanza, Shinyanga and Kagera.

Background

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations departmentthe European Union helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the European Union provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

The European Union is signatory to a €8 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to "small-scale" disasters - those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit within its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €8 million.

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