ReliefWeb

Dar es Salaam
Press and information team of the Delegation to TANZANIA

The European Commission has provided EUR 60 000 (Approx. TSHS 148 million) in humanitarian funding in response to a cholera outbreak in Uvinza and Tanganyika districts, in north-western Tanzania.

The European Commission has provided EUR 60 000 (Approx. TSHS 148 million) in humanitarian funding in response to a cholera outbreak in Uvinza and Tanganyika districts, in north-western Tanzania. The government of Tanzania reported the outbreak on 23 April 2022. By 28April 2022, the outbreak had spread to areas along the shores of Lake Tanganyika. At least 181 suspected and confirmed cases have been notified. Since this outbreak happened during the rainy season, it has the potential to quickly spread to other areas within the wider Kigoma and Katavi regions if not managed well.

This EU funding will support the Tanzanian Red Cross society in delivering assistance to affected communities, especially on risk communication, awareness raising and community engagement for the cholera outbreak.

The Tanzanian Red Cross will mobilise and train over 130 volunteers, community health workers and leaders on hygiene and health promotion, psychosocial support and engaging with the community to achieve behavioural change.

The response will also include deploying mobile cinemas to villages, to support easier understanding of the need to respect health and hygiene measures, as well as water quality testing at household level.

The action will be implemented in coordination with the government and other partners. The Tanzanian Red Cross has been active in preparedness as well as previous cholera outbreak response activities.

Running for two months, this project will benefit over 38,000 people in the affected district of Uvinza in Kigoma region and the district of Tanganyika in Katavi region.

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).

Background

About EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid

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. The European Commission ensures rapid and effective delivery of EU relief assistance through its two main instruments: civil protection and humanitarian aid.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian aid Operations department (ECHO), the European Commission helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year.With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the department provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs. For more information, please visit the European Commission's website.

About the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund

The European Commission has signed a €3 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Relief 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 Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) was established in 1985 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 in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €3 million.

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information, please contact: Mathias.Eick@echofield.eu or +254 722 791 604