The Social and Economic Impact on Zimbabwe

The situation in Zimbabwe is now so bad that HIV/AIDS has had a huge impact:

• Between 2002 and 2006, the population was estimated to have decreased by four million people.
• Infant mortality had doubled since 1990.
• Average life expectancy for women, who are particularly affected by Zimbabwe’s AIDS epidemic, is 34 – the lowest anywhere in the world. Officials from the World Health Organisation have admitted that since this figure is based on data collected two years ago, the real number may be as low as 30.
• Zimbabwe has a higher number of orphans, in proportion to its population, than any other country in the world, according to UNICEF. Most of these cases are a result of parents dying from AIDS.

The impact of HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe has been tragic. More than 1.6m children are estimated to have been orphaned by the disease. For many of these children, schools offer not only a place to learn but also a safe space where they can interact with other children, receive meals and learn important life skills.

The funding is critical at this time, because many children affected by HIV/AIDS have been forced to drop out of school. A recent increase in school fees also contributed to the problem. Last year alone, enrolment rates dropped 30 per cent, and are now at 65 per cent nationally, meaning that many of the children most in need of support are now outside the educational system.

Economic impact

The political landscape has affected the country’s economic progress. Unemployment is rife and 80% of the population rely on informal sector. They survive by selling vegetables, second-hand clothing and running house enterprises.

Orphans of the Storm

The expanding population of orphans has had a devastating impact on the nation’s social and economic infrastructure. When their parents die, children become breadwinners. Many are required to divert money once used to pay school fees in order to maintain a household and care for younger siblings, so education becomes an unaffordable luxury. The problems often multiply when an ill relative remains in the home, or an AIDS-related opportunistic disease such as tuberculosis takes hold within a family. Other children find themselves dependent upon people who are ill-suited to the task, such as elderly grandparents.