History
Since the mid-1990s, Zimbabwe’s infrastructure has been deteriorating rapidly, but remains better than that of most African countries. Poor management of the economy and political turmoil have led to considerable economic hardships. Direct foreign investment has all but evaporated. January 2009 dollarization curtailed runaway hyperinflation, which had contributed directly to persistent shortages of foreign exchange, fuel, and food.
Agriculture is no longer the backbone of the Zimbabwean economy. Large-scale commercial farming has been effectively destroyed over the course of the last nine years under the government’s controversial land reform efforts starting in 2000. Poor government management has exacerbated meager corn harvests in years of drought or floods, resulting in significant food shortfalls every year since 2001.
Paved roads link the major urban and industrial centers, but the condition of urban roads and the unpaved rural road network has deteriorated significantly since 1995 for lack of maintenance. Rail lines connect with an extensive central African railroad network, although railway track condition has also worsened in recent years, along with locomotive availability and utilization. The electric power supply has become erratic and blackouts are common due to unreliable or nonexistent coal supplies to the country’s large thermal plants and power plant breakdowns. Telephone service is problematic, and new lines are difficult of obtain. Municipal water supply is also erratic.
With international attractions, tourism historically has been a significant segment of the economy and contributor of foreign exchange. The sector has contracted sharply since 1999, however, due to the country’s declining international image.
Success Stories
2009
2009 was a big year for our Zimbabwe program. Through direction and wisdom in Christ, Least of These was able to obtain school fees for 14 vulnerable children, examination fees for 10 young people sitting for examinations and soccer uniforms for several teams in Gwayi and Kamativi. We maintained a 1979 Land Rover for use in community health, purchased an air compressor for fixing flats, petrol for transportation, and funded transportation and payment for clinic visits and taking ill persons to the hospital. This included bringing them home for burial. We were able to purchase medicine, food, school supplies, a simple stove and small freezer for the farm workers. We trained 10 peer educators in Kamativi and Gwayi, added books to the simple library in Gwayi and Kamativi, had one water pump fixed in the Gwayi River and one in Kamativi, bought a video player for educational purposes, DVDs and videos for health teaching and a generator for showing health films. We added to the two sewing machines brought last year with acquisition of used sewing machines and the repairing of those machines. We provided three sewing businesses with machines, materials and supplies for sewing school uniforms for children, and material and supplies for a small business that makes tye-dyed matierals for dresses. We bought food, medicine and supplies for the Kamativi Mission hospital, and provided for the electrification of the Dinde Primary School. We purchased chemicals and tools for continuing support of a the beauty shop, acquired an artificial leg for the person who lost his leg to a crocodile last year in Kamativi, bought tools for plowing, seeds, fertilizer for the farm workers in Gwayi, repaired a fence and water supplies for farming, and bought chemicals and fertilizers for the resuscitation of the orange grove. Through these purchases we hope for an improvement in access to food and good nutrition.
2008
Training of 10 new Community Health Workers, School fees for 14-24 vulnerable children, maintaining a 1979 Land Rover for use in community health, air compressor for fixing flats, petrol for transportation etc., transportation and payment for clinic visits, hospitalization for three, and burial for three, specific medications for 4, medicine, food, school supplies, 50 mosquito nets dispensed through the Community Health Workers, adding to the approximately 25 books for start up of small library, tubes and repairs for the 3 bicycles for the Community Health Workers to use. Upkeep for the projector, computer, speakers, video and DVD players, and generator. Training for 15 peer counselors for educating about HIV/AIDS, chemicals and tools for continuing support of a beauty shops, approximately one hundred pkgs of seeds and tools for gardening. Also resources for training of 15 CHW’s in a new area.
2007
Training of 45 Community Health Workers, School fees for 14 vulnerable children, acquiring a 1979 Land Rover for use in community health, air compressor for fixing flats, petrol for transportation etc., transportation and payment for clinic visits, hospitalization for three, and burial for one, specific medications for 5, medicine, food, school supplies, textbooks for one primary and one secondary School, 100 mosquito nets dispensed through the Community Health Workers, approximately 25 books for start up of small library, one well dug , two pumps repaired, 3 bicycles for the Community Health Workers to use, projector, computer, speakers, video and DVD players, DVDs and videos for health teaching and generator for showing health films out in the bush where there is not electricity, two sewing machines for startup sewing business, chemicals and tools for two start up beauty shops, start up supplies for one very small bakery, approximately one hundred pkgs of seeds and tools for startup gardening, soccer uniforms and balls for one village team.
