Operations

The logistics capacity of humanitarian organizations working in Zimbabwe has been greatly  overstretched  in  the  past  few  months  owing  to  a  cholera  epidemic affecting much of the country. In November 2008, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) requested the World Food Programme (WFP), in its role as Logistics Cluster Lead, to assist these organizations.

Through a ‘Special Operation’, WFP intends to support the efforts of the humanitarian community and local authorities in their efforts to respond to the outbreak of cholera. The  operation  provides  for  the  assets,  equipment,  staff  and  systems  necessary to ensure an uninterrupted supply chain of life-saving relief items to the affected areas:

• through  the  provision  of  tertiary  transport,  temporary  storage  and  related logistics services; and
• by  means  of  coordination  of  and  information  management  for  the  overall logistics response.

This Special Operation will have run for six months at a cost of US$ 1,175,194. 

Countries

Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, hyper-inflation and acute shortages of basic supplies combined with a series of very poor harvests led to serious food shortages and acute food insecurity in recent years....