United Nations Radio

The United Nations is appealing for more than half a billion dollars to help the people of Zimbabwe.

Almost 4 million people are in need of food assistance, and the number is expected to rise as the hunger season - between January and April approaches. Catherine Braggs, the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, says the food situation is complicated by the outbreak of cholera in the country. The number of victims, Ms. Braggs told journalists, has reached almost 9,000 and as of Tuesday, 366 people have died of the disease.

"The number of incidents at the moment, as well as the high mortality rate, is directly traceable to the fact that many communities now have depleted their ability to provide clean water because of the lack of chemical treatment so there is an urgent need for water and sanitation, it's also directly traceable to the collapse of the health system where there is insufficient health personnel as well as medical supplies."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday expressed alarm at the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe, describing it as desperate and only likely to worsen in the coming months as the country's political crisis continues. Education is also being affected as many teachers are not being paid enough to cover transportation to school, and with children not attending when schools require payment in food, which the students are lacking.

Diane Bailey, United Nations

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