The European Commission has provided EUR 80 000 (TSHS 203 million) in humanitarian funding in response to the floods along the Ruvuma river in southern Tanzania that occurred on 1st April 2023. Some 1,400 people or 395 households have been severely affected by the floods and moved to temporary shelters such as schools. About 60 houses were destroyed, and more than 100 toilets collapsed. There is a potential risk of an outbreak of diseases due to the contamination of water sources. Fields have been destroyed by the floods, threatening the livelihoods of the affected families, as the main economic activity in the villages is agriculture and food business. The Tanzania Red Cross responded rapidly in providing essential household items to the displaced families and helped the local authorities in the initial food distribution.

This EU funding will support the Tanzanian Red Cross Society (TRCS) in delivering assistance to the 1,400 affected by the floods, especially in the Mtwara district, through the provision of essential household items, WASH, and health services in the next 3 months, while allowing for a detailed assessment to be conducted.

Under this DREF, the TRCS will address immediate needs in food, shelter, clothes, essential household items, and hygiene kits. The TRCS will also distribute water treatment tablets and provide 20 toilet slabs as water and sanitation support at the community and household levels. Volunteers will be trained and deployed to conduct hygiene promotion and health awareness sessions, disseminate key messages on flood resistant shelter and safety, and address community questions. This intervention will strengthen community engagement and ownership of the response.

The funding is part of the EU's overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Background

About EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid.  Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises. The European Commission ensures rapid and effective delivery of EU relief assistance through its two main instruments: civil protection and humanitarian aid.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian aid Operations department (ECHO), the European Commission helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year.With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the department provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs. For more information, please visit the European Commission's website.

About the Disaster Response Emergency Fund

The European Union is signatory to a €3 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1985 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF.  For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit within its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €3 million.