Zimbabwe is situated in Southern Africa between South Africa to the South and Zambia to the North. Its other neighbouring countries are Mozambique to the East and Botswana to the West.

Zimbabwe currently has a population of about 13 million. The UN estimates that about 70% of its people live below the poverty line. The current life expectancy is less than 40 years.

Zimbabwe is going through an extremely difficult period, both economically and socio-economically. The country has experienced a 30% contraction in its GDP growth in the last 7 years and at the same time inflation is rampant, making any economic planning quite frustrating and difficult to achieve. The present unemployment rate is very high at about 80%. 

Source: CIA, The World Factbook

To read more about Zimbabwe in general try eg. the following link: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/zi.html (CIA, The World factbook)

The AIDS pandemic is raging in Zimbabwe. Almost a third of the adult population is estimated to be infected with HIV. As many as 20% of the country’s children have lost at least one parent to the disease meaning that there are approximately 1,000,000 AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe, alone. Every week about 2,500 people are dying because of the virus.

Such figures have a profound and dismal effect on the country in every respect, especially on the economy, society and the fabric of family life.

A third of AIDS orphans live in orphanages but about two thirds live with their relatives or other adults. For those living outside orphanages it is usually difficult to go to school and receive education on a regular basis. School uniforms and fees are compulsory and many AIDS orphans or their relatives cannot afford to pay them. Schools do not have additional resources required to take care of AIDS orphans.

To read more about AIDS and AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe try eg. the following links:

http://www.rnw.nl/humanrights/zimbabwe/html/orphans.html (Radio Netherlands)

http://www.unaids.org/EN/Geographical+Area/by+country/zimbabwe.asp (UNAIDS)