Zambia: European Commission provides €2.2 million in humanitarian aid

The European Commission has allocated €2.2 million to reduce the cumulative effects of drought and HIV/AIDS on vulnerable people in Zambia. Up to two million people face food shortages in the country's drought-affected southern and western regions. Commission-funded humanitarian operations in Zambia specifically aim to prevent the situation of vulnerable groups, like households headed by children or grandparents, deteriorating further. This will be achieved through financing concrete measures such as the provision of lightweight water pumps that have been specially adapted to help households with planting and harvesting.

The Zambian government declared a state of national disaster at the end of last year. The Commission's decision to provide €2.2 million was based on an assessment of the situation undertaken by the Commission's humanitarian aid department. The funding will be channelled through the Commission's Humanitarian Aid department which comes under the responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel.

Key planned components of the intervention include rehabilitation of existing boreholes and water tanks; construction of latrine, hand washing and laundry facilities for households, communities, schools and health centres; and public health and hygiene education. Given the heavy burden of AIDS in the targeted areas, the programmes will also include an HIV/AIDS component for example, awareness-raising and condom distribution. To improve the livelihoods of the most vulnerable, other measures focusing on livestock are also planned, such as vaccinations to prevent cattle dying from corridor disease.

In 2004 and 2005 the European Commission financed humanitarian aid operations in Zambia worth €5.5 million. Although this aid helps to meet the immediate needs of the most vulnerable people, it cannot tackle the structural and chronic food insecurity situation in the long run. The European Commission is working with the Government of Zambia to include a food security strategy in its national planning. The Commission also has a European Development Fund programme in Zambia to support institutional development, capacity building and transport infrastructure. €15 million of this has been earmarked for food security operations.

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