Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe in a nutshell

Zimbabwe lies in southern Africa. It is bordered in the south by South Africa and in the north by Zambia. Other neighbouring countries are Mozambique in the east and Botswana in the west.

The country has a population of about 13 million. The UN estimates that about 70% of its people live below the poverty line. The current life expectancy is less than 40 years.

Zimbabwe is going through a very hard time both economically and socially. The gross domestic product has shrunk by 50% over the last 10 years at the same time as drastic cost fluctuations make any kind of economic planning extremely frustrating and difficult to achieve. At above 80%, the unemployment rate is very high indeed.

(Source: CIA, The World Factbook)

To find out more about Zimbabwe, visit: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html (CIA, The World Factbook)

AIDS and AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe

The AIDS epidemic is raging in Zimbabwe. Almost a sixth of the adult population is estimated to be infected with HIV. As many as 20% of the children have lost at least one parent to the disease, meaning that there are over 1,000,000 AIDS orphans in the country. About 2,500 people die from AIDS every week.

Such figures have a profound effect on the country in every respect, especially on the economy, society and the very fabric of family life.

One third of AIDS orphans live in orphanages but the remaining two thirds live with their relatives or other adults. For those living outside orphanages it is usually difficult to go to school and receive an education on a regular basis. School uniforms and fees are compulsory and many orphans or their relatives cannot afford to pay for them. Schools have no additional resources to take care of AIDS orphans.

To read more about AIDS and AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe, visit:

http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/zimbabwe_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf (UNAIDS)