The government of the People’s Republic of China, through He Meng, charge d’affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Harare, said it shares the concern of the international community over the current epidemic and is sympathetic to what Zimbabweans are  going through.

“At the moment that Zimbabwean people are eagerly waiting for assistance fighting against cholera, we sincerely hope and believe that the US$500 000 would be made best use of under the coordination of Zimbabwean government and the United Nations agencies, so as to alleviate the epidemic situation and help Zimbabwean people to overcome the challenge at an earlier date,” said He Meng.

The money will provide additional funding to purchase relevant materials from neighbouring countries, and also to intensify community health and hygiene promotion and education activities. In accepting the donation, minister of health and child welfare, David Parirenyatwa, acknowledged the donation and promised these would be used efficiently.

There have been more than 24,000 cases of cholera reported since August. Although the country is slowly coming to grips with the epidemic, international aid agencies warn the situation may get much worse unless international assistance gets to where it is urgently needed.[\html]