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At a glance: Zimbabwe - The big picture
UNICEF
July 19, 2005

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/zimbabwe_1403.html

Zimbabwe is enduring the country's worst humanitarian situation since independence a quarter of a century ago. The origins of Zimbabwe's crisis are as complex and multifaceted as they are damaging.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic; declining economic performance; political polarization, unfavourable environmental conditions (drought and other natural phenomena); policy constraints, limited donor support for development programmes; and depleted capacity in the social service sectors have led to the world's fastest rise in child mortality.

According to UNICEF global estimates, child (under five) mortality rose more than 50 percent, from 80 deaths per 1000 live births to 123 (between 1990 and 2003).

Having established a reputation as one of the most vibrant, productive, and economically resilient countries in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe is now experiencing a swift reversal in its economic fortunes and the health of its social sectors. Political conflict has undermined economic confidence and international financial flows, reducing the resource base for social investment and for domestic production.

Today Zimbabwe suffers from one of the world's highest rates of HIV infection (at 25%), together with plummeting life expectancy, and a catastrophe in orphans unlike any the world has seen (almost one in five children have been orphaned by HIV-AIDS). Combined, this has led to a marked deterioration in all social sectors, greatly impacting upon children.

Combating these challenges on multiple fronts, UNICEF's successful partnerships with all levels of government, donors, the church, civil society, non-governmental organizations, and other United Nations agencies have allowed it to support OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children), restrict the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases, and combine its work in education and health to promote HIV prevention.

These initiatives were chosen not only as responses to specific and serious problems of children, but because they trigger processes which support policies and systems on a large scale. Nonetheless, the problems facing Zimbabwe's children are immense.

By 1990 primary school completion rates in Zimbabwe had peaked at 83 % (a first-class performance in Southern Africa), however by 2003 they had dropped to 63%. The overall effect is reduced enrolment and increased dropout rates, re-emergence of gender disparity, and deterioration in the quality of teaching.

Sadly, the same is true of nutrition. Whilst marked improvements characterized the first decade post independence, chronic malnutrition levels are now around 27%. Malaria too is resurfacing as a major challenge to child survival and health.

As such, the situation of children in Zimbabwe remains dire. Coping mechanisms of most Zimbabweans have been exceeded and they are increasingly relying on dangerous or damaging survival strategies such as poaching, prostitution and theft, which will have severe medium-term effects on the population, the natural resource base and the environment.

This all comes at a time when there are greatly reduced donor funds for development. Despite generous donations from key donors such as the UK's DFID, ECHO and the Japanese Government, UNICEF has sizeable shortfalls in key areas of nutrition, girls' vulnerability, education and 'street children'.

And yet, despite the enormity of these challenges facing government, UNICEF and the international community, Zimbabwe retains potential to enter a new phase of hope and renewal. The challenges are clear: reach every one of Zimbabwe's 1.3million orphans, implement HIV/AIDS prevention programmes across the country, rebuild the education sector, and encourage international donors to return to the country.

Expectations are high among the Zimbabwean people. Sixty per cent of the population is children, keen for change and a better future. That future is now being written.

UNICEF in action

• UNICEF's new country programme for 2005-2006 places preventing HIV and ensuring the rights of orphans and vulnerable children at its centre.
• UNICEF works in 18 priority districts. (Districts selected based on number of orphans, prevalence of HIV, access to services, child population and poverty.)
• Achieved national measles coverage of 95%.
• Reached more than 750,000 (under 5) children with supplementary feeding.
• Established HIV info centres in 20 districts.

In Health and Nutrition, UNICEF is targeting some 4.5million children through:

• Distributing 400,000 long lasting insecticide- treated bed nets to 200,000 households.
• Procuring and distributing emergency drugs and equipment to 500 health clinics.
• Seeking to reduce maternal mortality via ensuring district hospitals are providing good quality obstetric emergency care.
• Strengthening implementation of the national therapeutic feeding programme for severely malnourished children
• Supporting the development of a comprehensive National Food and Nutrition Surveillance System.
• Bold attempts in 2005 to reach 60% ITN coverage. Currently alarmingly low at 7% for children U5.

In HIV/AIDS, UNICEF supports hundreds of thousands of OVCs through:

• Providing access to education.
• Providing counseling and psychosocial support.
• Supporting their enrolment in schools.
• Increase OVC access to food, health services, water and sanitation.

In Education:

• Rehabilitating 100 satellite schools.
• Seeking to eliminate the gender gap.
• Ensure that by 2015 all children are able to complete a full course of primary schooling.
• Training 15,000 primary school teachers to effectively teach life skill HIV/AIDS education to 500,000 pupils.
  

One of the major interventions in year 2004 was the drafting a National Plan of Action for OVC for 2003-2005 (collaboration between government, NGOs, donors, private sector, the UN and children). UNICEF will continue to support the implementation of the NPA.

Malaria is a major killer in Zimbabwe with an estimated 3 million people in the country experiencing at least one episode of the disease each year. Together with its partners, UNICEF will distribute insecticide-treated bed nets and support the training of health staff and communities in their use.

UNICEF, in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and Government, is supporting interventions to control and prevent the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, polio and neonatal tetanus by launching accelerated immunization campaigns for children aged six months to six years in the affected areas and providing additional training to health staff in the planning and management of immunization programmes.

For more information contact James Elder, Communication Officer for UNICEF Zimbabwe at jelder@unicef.org.

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