Attachments
Highlights
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According to the 2024 Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC), 7.6 million people (50 per cent of the total population) in the country are facing food insecurity. Furthermore, the prevalence of child wasting has increased from 4.1 per cent to 4.9 per cent in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
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Seasonal outlook indicated increased chances of La Niña for the 2024/25 rainfall season, increasing the risk of flooding.
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In addition, 4 per cent of the enumerated water sources in the country have dried up, and 11 per cent of water points are broken down.
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Since January 2024, more than two million children aged 6-59 months were screened for wasting and 7,004 children were treated.
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As of 31 August 2024, 304,112 children received the first dose of measles rubella 1 and more than two million people accessed essential primary health care services in UNICEF-supported facilities.
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Common diarrhoea cases increased from 29,445 in July to 43,661 in August. Out of the cases reported in August, 55 per cent were children under five.
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UNICEF reached 434,035 people (including 86,807 children and 135 People with Disabilities (PWD), with safe water in cholera and drought affected areas.
Situation in Numbers
1,700,000 children in need of humanitarian assistance (HAC 2024)
2,600,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance (HAC 2024)
2,000,000 People to be reached. (HAC 2024)
978,611 Children to be reached. (HAC 2024)
UNICEF HAC appeal 2024 US$ 26.8 Million
Funding Overview and Partnerships
To respond to the humanitarian needs in Zimbabwe, UNICEF is appealing for US$26.8 million in 20241 , to address the urgent needs of affected populations. The country is facing multiple crises, including the El Niño induced drought, protracted cholera outbreak, polio outbreak, economic crisis, as well as the risk of a Mpox outbreak. The funding will enable UNICEF to provide critical humanitarian assistance to 2 million people including 978,611 children in the most affected areas. So far, UNICEF Zimbabwe has received a total of US$10.5 million (39 per cent of the total funding requirement) from various donors. These include the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the Government of Japan, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF Global Humanitarian Thematic Funds. Funding has also been received through the Health Resilience Fund (HRF) - funded by the European Union, the Governments of Ireland, and the United Kingdom, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Additionally, private sector partners such as Alliance Media and JCDecaux have provided valuable in-kind support through digital billboard space for critical messaging, while Universal Postal Services (UPS) have provided essential cash-in-kind logistics support for essential commodities including intravenous fluids, infusion sets and oral rehydration salts.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
Zimbabwe faces a complex humanitarian crisis, driven by climate related El Niño drought, economic instability, and public health emergencies, including cholera and polio outbreaks. The country is facing one of the worst droughts in 40 years, affecting an estimated 50 per cent of the population (7.6 million people) including 3.5 million children. Out of the 7.6 million people, 5.9 million are in rural areas and 1.7 million in urban areas, and the droughts impact will be most severe during the peak hunger period of January to March 2025 (ZimLAC Report, 2024). The projected food-insecure population during the 2025 peak hunger period, is expected to double compared to the food-insecure population during 2024 peak hunger period.
The 2024 ZimLAC rural report results show an increase in child wasting from 4.1 per cent to 4.9 per cent in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The report also indicates a decrease in the proportion of households accessing basic water services from 60 per cent to 52 per cent, social assistance from 74 per cent to 48 per cent, and household monthly income from US$116 to US$88 compared to 2023. The report reveals that households adopting negative coping strategies increased from 39 per cent in 2023 to 53 per cent in 2024, the highest level recorded in the last five years; 22.3 per cent of schoolage children are out of school while drug and substance abuse is reported to be at 57.6 per cent and is one of the major challenges affecting youths.
Similarly, the 2024 urban ZimLAC findings revealed an increase in child wasting from 3 per cent to 5.6 per cent between 2023 and 2024 respectively, indicating a deteriorating nutrition situation. In addition, the report shows that 6.1 per cent of children (4-19 years) were receiving hot meals at school nationwide, 50.3 per cent of urban households had access to limited sanitation services and 3.3 per cent of the households still practice open defecation. Furthermore, the 2023-2024 El Niño induced drought resulted in massive crop failure and depletion of water resources and pastures in Zimbabwe. The El Niño induced drought compounded humanitarian consequences on food security, nutrition, health, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education, social protection, shelter, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and cross-cutting issues including gender inequality and child rights violation.
The impacts of the El Niño drought are expected to worsen in the latter part of 2024 up to early 2025, leading to increased moderate and life-threatening severe malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and health issues among children. Furthermore, food insecurity exacerbates poverty, vulnerability and risks of school dropouts, gender-based violence, and exploitation of children. Additionally, due to water scarcity, a spike in diarrhoeal and other water-related diseases was noted during the reporting period. Common diarrhoea cases increased from 29,445 in July to 43, 661 cases in August (48 per cent increase), with 55 per cent cases reported in August being children under five years old. Additionally, 1,535 dysentery cases and 11 typhoid cases were reported in August. Confirmed malaria cases increased from 1,391 cases in July to 1, 459 cases in August, with seven malaria deaths reported.
According to the July 2024 Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), Water Situation Report, 6,028 (11 per cent) of the country's water points are on breakdown, 2,310 (4 per cent) of the enumerated water sources in the country have dried up, primarily in Masvingo, Matabeleland South, and Midlands Provinces. As the drought intensifies, its cumulative effects will overwhelm households’ coping mechanisms later in 2024, leading to a peak in the severity of the water security and nutrition status of children.
As a result of the evolving humanitarian needs related to El Niño, UNICEF Zimbabwe’s response plan requires a total funding of US$84.9 million, targeting 1.34 million people (866,072 children), for humanitarian response focusing on strengthening integrated lifesaving services in Health, Nutrition, Water and Sanitation, Child Protection, Education, and Social Protection. So far, UNICEF Zimbabwe has received a total of US$4 million (5 per cent) from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and UNICEF Global Humanitarian Thematic Funds (GHTF).
Following the declaration of Mpox as an International and Continental Public Health Emergency by WHO and Africa CDC respectively, Zimbabwe initiated preparedness efforts to mitigate the risks and impact of Mpox. In August 2024, a national Mpox readiness assessment was conducted using a global standard checklist, revealing a 68 per cent overall readiness rate for the country. The assessment highlighted limitations in coordination, surveillance, and moderate case management. The assessment also revealed shortages of laboratory equipment, limited trained personnel, sub-optimal medical countermeasures, coordination mechanisms with limited functionality, and a sub-standard Mpox vaccination strategy.
Considering confirmed Mpox cases in South Africa and other countries across the continent the Ministry of Health and Childcare (MoHCC) developed a National Mpox preparedness and response plan in collaboration with partners. This plan outlines priority actions across all pillars, following global and regional standards set by WHO and Africa CDC, to prepare for a potential outbreak. MoHCC has also produced and distributed informative factsheets, key messages, and guidance on Mpox for the public. Zimbabwe has reported no confirmed cases, however, alerts and suspected cases in various areas have been investigated and negative results were reported.
Although the MoHCC declared the end of the cholera outbreak, the root causes remain unresolved. The key environmental risks include inadequate WASH infrastructure, frequent sewer bursts, irregular water supply worsened by power cuts, shortages of water treatment chemicals, poor waste management, and unsafe hygiene practices. Rapid urban population growth has led to informal settlements lacking proper water and sanitation systems, forcing communities to rely on contaminated sources like shallow wells and river water. The El Niño-induced drought has worsened the situation, drying up traditional water sources, while urban sewer blockages, illegal settlements, and open defecation further contribute to groundwater contamination.
The Southern Africa Regional and National Climate Outlook forums issued official seasonal statements for the 2024/25 rainfall season which indicate increased chances of normal to below normal rainfall in Zimbabwe between October and December 2025 while for the second half of the rainfall season (January to March 2025), the outlook indicates normal to above normal rainfall across the country. The outlook of the second half of the season indicates an elevated risk of flooding in flood-prone areas, potentially contaminating water sources and triggering another cholera outbreak given the poor WASH services delivery in the country.
As of August 2024, Zimbabwe detected 22 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases from four environmental samples (ES) in Harare since October 2023 (17 cases from 2023 and five in 2024). Furthermore, in January 2024, one index human poliovirus type 2 was reported in a 10-year-old girl with a case of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP).