Zimbabwe
OVERVIEW
The challenges that face Zimbabwe are numerous, not least of which is a fragile transitional government that is wrestling with internal power struggles and languishing in bankruptcy, unable to cover even the most critical budget items. The economy has collapsed, the capacity of the public health and education sectors is deeply eroded, and investment within the private sector has slowed to a crawl. Meanwhile, poverty continues to increase, and a burgeoning, multi-faceted humanitarian crisis persists.
U.S. assistance in Zimbabwe is focused on promoting the country's transformation from a brutally repressed and deeply impoverished nation to one in which the government respects democratic freedoms and seeks to meet the needs of its people. USAID will continue to promote change and provide for those adversely affected by government mismanagement by working with civil society, helping Zimbabwe's democratic forces advance reforms, and providing much-needed humanitarian assistance.
PROGRAMS
GOVERNING JUSTLY AND DEMOCRATICALLY
U.S. assistance promotes good governance and accountability, and support consensus-building activities aimed at promoting peaceful agreement on democratic reform. This includes ensuring civil society participation in the national dialogue, strengthening democratic institutions, building the capacity of independent media, and implementing transitional justice programs. The United States is supporting the transitional government in establishing participatory processes to develop a new constitution, and is building the capacity of local governments to address the needs of their constituents. Programs also promote respect for human rights at all levels of government, and anti-corruption measures will be a common thread through all activities.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE: HEALTH
In recent years, Zimbabwe has been marked by declining health trends, deteriorating health infrastructure, lack of basic supplies and essential drugs, outdated and poorly functioning equipment, and high attrition of human resources. USAID is expanding its assistance to include general health sector support, including system strengthening, with a view toward reversing years of government mismanagement and under-funding of the health sector. Family planning is integrated into HIV/AIDS services to expand access to high-quality, voluntary information and reproductive health care on a sustainable basis. Tuberculosis and malaria treatment and control programs are an integral part of USAID's health portfolio, as well as maternal and child health. Health programs complement humanitarian assistance aimed at providing a social safety net to those most adversely affected by economic stabilization measures. Zimbabwe is also receiving significant support to build partnerships to provide countrywide integrated prevention, care, and treatment programs and support orphans and vulnerable children.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
To help Zimbabwe to move along the trajectory from relief to recovery to development, USAID assistance promotes private sector development, agricultural recovery, and trade. Policy reform to generate investor-friendly conditions and to address agricultural land tenure are core elements of U.S. assistance to revive the economy. In addition, microfinance, skills development, and promotion of market linkages are critical program components.
USAID is expanding agricultural livelihood programs to increase food security and mobilize financing for individual rural households to purchase seeds and tools. USAID will help rebuild deteriorated extension services by training and attracting former extension agents back to their former positions. Skills recovery and redeployment through a farmer union program will increase outreach to Zimbabweans at home and abroad. Contract farming and outgrower schemes that efficiently deliver inputs to small-scale farmers and guarantee ready markets for produce will enhance production, boosting productivity in uncontested lands and production of small grains and legumes in dry land areas. Farmer, commodity, and agribusiness associations will be strengthened to enhance advocacy, research, analytical, and arbitration skills. Such associations are engaging farmers and agri-businessmen in agricultural policy dialogue and enable them to better advocate on behalf of their interests to government. USAID is also enhancing agricultural competitiveness as the legal and regulatory enabling environment for agriculture and agribusiness is improved.
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
Economic stabilization programs produce new short-term economic hardships as price distortions are removed. U.S. humanitarian assistance is providing food and non-food assistance to those most affected by stabilization programs, and address failures in the provision of public services.
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