Our partners have been working with the relevant emergency response teams and district councils to assess how best our support can be leveraged. If you would like to contribute to our efforts, please consider donating here.
Zambia
What is happening (as of 23rd January 2024)*:
- Cholera Outbreak: Zambia is facing its worst outbreak in 20 years with 500 deaths and nearly 15,000 confirmed cases since October 2023.
- School Closure: Schools have been closed since the beginning of the year, affecting 4.3 million school-aged children.
- Education Impact: Children have missed the first five weeks of the school year, posing a significant threat to their well-being and education.
- Climate Change: The rainy season has made matters worse, heavy rains are causing flooding and worsening conditions that is spreading the disease.
- Long-term Concerns: There is an urgent need to prioritise safe school reopening, as prolonged closures risk negative consequences like child marriage.
How we are responding in Zambia:
We are focusing on the areas of our two district wide plans, Mumbwa and Nalolo. Mumbwa has already been highlighted as experiencing an outbreak, whilst Nalolo has not had any cases yet we are carrying out preventative work here. Activities include:
- Household liquid chlorine: distribution of liquid chlorine for households to use as a disinfectant.
- Granular chlorine: deployment of granular chlorine for the disinfection of boreholes and other water sources.
- Cholera prevention poster printing: production and distribution of cholera prevention posters in communities.
- Hand sanitizer distribution: providing hand sanitizers for distribution to households.
- Soap supply: ensuring the availability of soap for hygiene purposes.
- Handwashing provisions in communities and public places.
Mozambique
What is happening (as of 29th January 2024)*:
- Cumulative Cases and Deaths: Mozambique is grappling with its most severe cholera outbreak in 25 years, marked by over 10,500 cases reported across seven provinces since October 2023.
- Fluctuating Situation: The outbreak initially improved during the 2023 dry season but worsened again in September. The last week of November saw a concerning 24% increase, expanding to nine more districts. This trend continued into January 2024.
- Rainy Season: The rainy season is expected to further exacerbate the situation.
- Challenges and Contributing Factors: The spread of cholera is fuelled by factors such as inadequate access to clean water, poor sanitation, weak surveillance, and a lack of preparedness. The health system is strained by limited resources and workforce, compounded by recent challenges like COVID-19, polio, measles, and cyclones.
- Regional Concerns: The outbreak has a regional dimension, with ongoing outbreaks in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia raising concerns about cross-border transmission into Mozambique.
How we are responding in Mozambique:
We are focusing on Manica province, due to the network we have in place to help this area. Activities include:
- Community sensitisation: adding additional materials to community hygiene and sanitation sessions to emphasise Cholera prevention.
- Household liquid chlorine: distribution of liquid chlorine for households to use as a disinfectant.
- Granular chlorine: deployment of granular chlorine for the disinfection of boreholes and other water sources.
- Soap supply: ensuring the availability of soap for hygiene purposes
- Handwashing provisions at communities or public places
- Emergency safe water provision in affected area
All of these activities are short-term emergency measures aimed at curbing the current outbreaks. However all of our work – increasing access to clean water, decent toilets, and improving levels of hygiene – aims to make communities healthier and more resilient to diseases like cholera long-term.
If you would like to contribute to our efforts, you can donate here.
