The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate, as a result of economic mismanagement made worse by the effects of a severe drought during the last growing season. An estimated 4.1 million people will need international food aid by the end of the year. Malnutrition has reached concerning levels in a number of districts. The collapse of urban water and sanitation systems in Zimbabwe's main cities has increased numbers of life-threatening diarrhoea outbreaks. HIV/AIDS remains a major problem with 1.8 million affected.
DFID's aid programme is providing substantial direct assistance to protect the livelihoods of more than 1.5 million poor people in Zimbabwe, tackle HIV/AIDS and help meet humanitarian needs. This year we have made an additional contribution of £8 million to the World Food Programme to ensure that food aid reaches those who need it most and £1 million to UNICEF to prepare for and respond to emergency disease outbreaks.