In the light of the prolonged cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe, Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has decided to make available a further one million euro to German aid agencies for emergency operations.

Since the outbreak of cholera in this southern African country last autumn some 2872 people have died and over 53,300 have contracted the disease, according to the latest UN figures. Although international aid has been stepped up, people are still dramatically short of food, drinking water and medical care.

The additional money will be used, for example, to fund a German Red Cross water purification unit capable of supplying up to 40,000 people a day. Through a Caritas project several church-run hospitals in the Harare area will be supplied with basic foodstuffs.

This latest increase brings the Federal Foreign Office's total funding since 2008 for aid projects in Zimbabwe to 3.2 million euro.

For further information on the humanitarian assistance provided by the Federal Foreign Office please consult: