Zimbabwe
Photo: Paola Gianturco
A student performing a song as a creative expression of girls’ concerns.
An End To Prosperity
Zimbabwe Partner
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.
Empowering and Educating Girls
Skyrocketing costs for food, fuel, education, and basic supplies have put girls in an even more vulnerable position than before.
Women, and girls in particular, bear the burden of poverty in Zimbabwe. They are often the victims of sexual violence and rape and receive little protection from authorities. With few opportunities to support themselves, some are driven into prostitution (also called transactional sex—trading sex for food and shelter), while others are forced to marry very young. They are among the most likely to be infected by HIV. Skyrocketing costs for food, fuel, education, and basic supplies have put girls in an even more vulnerable position than before.
IDEX’s support in Zimbabwe has been focused since 2005 on one unstoppable organization addressing the needs of girls, including paying school fees for girls where schools are in session and emergency assistance for girls living in desperate conditions. For years, The Girl Child Network has been working tirelessly to promote the rights of girls, as well as their education, health, and safety.
Nothing short of remarkable, GCN continues to provide a vision along with critically needed services for a brighter Zimbabwe. IDEX funding continues to support education and relief services for girls.
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