Zimbabwe
Photo: Paola Gianturco
A student performing a song as a creative expression of girls’ concerns.
An End To Prosperity
Just a few years ago, Zimbabwe had the highest literacy rate on the continent (90% of the country’s 12 million people) and a strong economic base of industry, natural resources and tourism. Zimbabwe also boasted a vibrant civil society movement. Most fundamentally, it had the promise of a stable democracy in the years following independence from the United Kingdom in 1980.
That’s all in the past. In recent years, Zimbabwe has experienced profound turmoil. Political strife, a dictator, hyperinflation, failed land reform, failed UN-imposed structural adjustment programs, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, prolonged droughts, and the cholera outbreak in 2008. An excruciatingly long list of factors that have undone the country’s infrastructure and prosperity.
Life expectancy is now 37 years for men and 34 years for women. In the 1990s it was 60 years of age. An estimated 80% of the population is unemployed. The HIV infection rate is approximately 20% of the population.
Zimbabwe Alliance
The formation of the unity government in February 2009 offered an opportunity to rebuild a civil society sector decimated by years of political and economic crises and to set the country on the path to a successful democratic transformation. Time was crucial in seizing the opportunity. A collaborative effort seemed to offer the best framework for a timely response – hence the decision to create the Zimbabwe Alliance.
The Zimbabwe Alliance, of which IDEX is a proud member, is a funders collaborative through which funders can maximize joint resources to maintain our commitment to promoting a vibrant civil society in the country of Zimbabwe. The Alliance's focus is on traditionally marginalized groups including women, youth, and community based organizations.
For more information, please see "IDEX Now Supporting the Zimbabwe Alliance" on our blog.
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