The Zimbabwean Situation

By Nyaradzo Makombe,

03. November 2004

Zimbabwe like its neighbouring countries is hard hit by the aids pandemic. AIDS has become an all-affecting crisis that cannot not be ignored .The UNDP Zimbabwe Human Development Report 2003 says Zimbabwe experienced its first case of HIV 1986. It is evident that the HIV/ AIDS pandemic for too long has been treated largely as a health problem when in actual fact the pandemic poses complex and far-reaching threats to development.

Over 6 million Zimbabweans - half the population - are at risk. By the end of 2001 according to UNAIDS about 2.3 million Zimbabweans were living with HIV/AIDS Of these two million were adults aged between 15-49 with the adult prevalence of 33.7%. 240 000 Zimbabwean children were (ages 0-14) living with HIV/AIDS (UNICEF, 2003). The adult and child mortality from AIDS is estimated at 200 000 and the cumulative deaths using conservative assumptions will reach 1.3 million by 2005 (UNICEF, 2003).

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), HIV/AIDS has become the leading cause of death in Africa among all the major medical conditions accounting for 22,6% of the total deaths in 2000. An estimated 3000 Zimbabweans die of AIDS and AIDS related diseases each week.

The complexity of the matter is that the incidence and severity of poverty worsens under the direct impacts of the epidemic. The capacity for development has been greatly eroded in all sectors as the human resource base has been eroded and the production undermined.

Of special concern is the burden that the epidemic has placed on women. For several reasons women largely constitute the infected affected, poorest and natural care givers. Nearly 65% of all HIV positive people in Zimbabwe between 15 and 49 are women. One of the challenges especially women and girls face are that particularly girl orphans are threatened with school drop outs, as they are obliged to look after siblings and sick parents.

The harsh effects of the scourge are such that the normal cycle or way of doing things has been reversed and demands are placed on the more vulnerable age groups usually orphans and the elderly. A closer look on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the community shows that traditional roles duties and responsibilities of family members have become blurred and distorted as AIDS places more demands and pressures on orphans.

Batsi’s story

Batsi is an orphan. His mother and father died a couple of years ago. His father had married a second wife before he died. After his death the woman chased the children of the first wife from the main house. Batsi and his younger brother now live in a wooden shack on the premises. They get a portion of their fathers pension from the second wife who otherwise does not care for the children. Batsi’s father’s relatives do not like the woman so they do not visit the house at all. Occasionally the children visit them. The younger brother was so traumatised by the experience of losing both parents that he once lived on the streets and started sniffing glue. With the persuasion of friendly neighbours the child was brought home in the care of his brother. Batsi had to stop going to school in form 3 as he has no money for fees. He makes a living ferrying smuggled sugar across the border to Mozambique. He carries 50 kg at time.

There is need for a National Response

Batsi’s story is just one of the sad stories in Zimbabwe brought about by HIV /AIDS.

The government has put in place programmes and activities to try and deal with the pandemic. Many non-governmental organisations are stepping in to complement government efforts in the fight against the pandemic.

In June 2000 the government instituted an aids levy pegged at 3% of individual tax for people working in the formal sector. The levy led to the formation of the National Aids Trust Fund NAFT whose activities include drug procurement, school HIV/AIDS education, support for home based care and mainstreaming of HIIV/AIDS in all sectors of the economy. Funds are distributed through ward aids action committees WAAC, district aids action committees DAAC and village aids action committees VAAC.these programmes have been under a lot criticism for failing to be effective as they are riddled with corruption.

Other stakeholders have come into play such as the private sector, the informal sector, civil society, religious organisations, women’s’ organisations, youth programmes, sports and artists associations, non governmental organisations and international aid organisations. These different groups have different approaches in dealing with the epidemic. There is need for a national response to the epidemic. A number of factors have to be considered when referring to successful intervention against the pandemic.

Domestic commitment that is the extent to which the government pays attention to and civic groups participate in the fight HIV and AIDS.