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Factsheet on Zimbabwe
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
August 26, 2005

(New York) - According to the report of the Special Envoy on Human Settlement Issues in Zimbabwe, Anna Tibaijuka, 570,000 persons lost their homes, and 98,000 lost their main source of livelihood in the informal sector. Thus, 650,000-700,000 persons directly affected, and 2.4 million were either directly or indirectly affected. The latter figure represents 18 per cent of the population.

The Special Envoy’s numbers were based on Government figures, which indicated that 92,460 housing structures and 32,538 small and medium enterprises were demolished. In total, 133,535 households were directly affected. Among those evicted several particularly vulnerable groups, including people living in the open in the ruins of their former homes or in informal resettlement areas, many of whom are waiting to be allocated plots; people with no fixed place to stay, who are drifting around and sleeping outside; people who are staying temporarily with family and friends in urban areas, often in overcrowded conditions; and people who have gone to rural areas, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.

The largest concentration of evicted households is now in Hopley Farm near Harare, where at least 4000 to 5000 people are living in very rudimentary conditions. Limited assistance is being provided to those at Hopley Farm. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is providing water -- 60,000 litres per day – and temporary toilets, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has distributed monthly rations of food and soap. Urgent needs remain in the areas of shelter, food, water and sanitation, health, child protection and livelihoods recovery.

1. Basic Statistics Life Expectancy

  • Life expectancy has plummeted from 62 years in the late 1980s to 33.9 years in 2004. Main causes: HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and crumbling basic services.

HIV/AIDS

  • 24.6% HIV prevalence rate. About 3,000 people die from HIV/AIDS pr. week. 2004: Donor funding was $4 per AIDS sufferer, compared to $187 for Zambia.
  • AIDS has fueled an orphan crisis that includes 1.3 million children.
  • UNICEF estimates that every 15 minutes a Zimbabwean child dies of AIDS.

Food insecurity

  • Sub-region hit by dry spell: over 10 million will likely need food assistance.
  • Worst hit: Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Mozambique and Swaziland.
  • Lean season (crunch time) will be December 2005- March 2006.
  • In Zimbabwe, WFP is making preparations to feed 2.9 million people.

2. Response to date
100,000 individuals are currently being assisted at 50 sites around the country. Since the beginning of the crisis, 168,000 individuals have been reached by the United Nations country team with basic assistance (approximately 24 per cent of the 700,000 directly affected by Operation Restore Order).

IOM - International Organization for Migration

  • Assisted a total of 168,000 individuals (33,600 households). • Blankets have been provided to 144,000 people. • Delivered 600 soap tablets to 825 persons.
  • Provided other non-food items to 10,000 persons.
  • Helped distribute 300 MT of food from the NGO C-SAFE.
  • Continued existing programme to assist 180,000 "mobile and vulnerable persons" (mostly displaced farm workers).

UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund

  • Provided 60-90,000 L/day water by trucks and 50,000 water purification tablets.
  • Provided 800 temporary toilet facilities in 3 former camps (Mutare, Harare, Bulawayo). Delivered 1000 kg of chloride of lime and 4.5 tons of soap.
  • Provided psycho-social support and toys to displaced children in camps or in institutions. Will provide textbooks to displaced children returning to school.
  • Located and assisted 50 displaced people on AIDS treatment in Epworth, Harare.
  • Delivered mattresses and blankets for children placed in institutions.
  • Delivered 10,000 blankets and cooking utensils across the country.
  • Provided 15 kilometres of plastic sheeting.

WFP - World Food Programme

  • Redirected 1,450 MT of food from its ongoing programmes to assist victims of the evictions. The food has been distributed by IOM.
  • Continued existing targeted feeding programmes reaching 1.3 million vulnerable persons, mainly orphans, pregnant women and AIDS patients, through schools and hospitals.
  • Made preparations to import an additional 300,000 MT, to feed up to five million persons, in anticipation of a food crisis later this year.

UNFPA - United Nations Populations Fund

  • Provided assistance in reproductive health to beneficiaries at Caledonia Farm.
  • Distributed 1070 cycles of oral contraceptives, 18,000 male condoms and 150 female condoms.

UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

  • Assisted over 2,500 refugees in Tongogara Camp, which is growing rapidly.
  • Provided support to refugees and asylum seekers that have recently been arrested.

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