Welcome to Plan Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of Africa. Much of the surface of the country is covered by granite and rock, limiting the amount of arable land.

Family is very important in Zimbabwe. Children are great sources of pride and the focal point of much attention and affection. In Zimbabwe, as in many developing countries, large families are viewed as signs of wealth. In rural areas, the average number of children in a family is 6.

In addition to our ongoing programmes, a key activity in Zimbabwe over the past year has been to help address the severe food shortage threatening almost half its population of 13,000,000.  We have been providing emergency food relief to children and families affected by the shortage, which has been largely due to low rainfall leading to a succession of poor harvests.

Although Plan is not a relief organisation, in the face of looming famine, we have naturally been working with local partners and other international non-governmental organisations to respond to immediate needs in the communities where we are already working. We have been distributing food supplies and nutritional supplements safely to those who most need it, as well as looking to longer-term food security through promotion of various farming techniques, including crop rotation and soil improvement. It is likely, however, that food relief will continue to be needed for some months to come.

A turbulent political situation, wide-scale government resettlement programmes and significant fuel shortages have also had an impact on food production and distribution.

About children's lives in Zimbabwe

For information about chidren's lives in Zimbabwe, including extensive indicators, please see UNICEF's report "The State of the World's Children 2008: Child Survival" (4.3mb | 164 pages)
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Key information for anyone wishing to visit a child they sponsor in Zimbabwe (175kb | 13 pages)