There is relative calm in the country for the ordinary citizen at the moment. Public schools offering primary and secondary education re-opened last week. Many children were sent back home because their families could not afford to pay school fees. The average fees for high density location schools (Primary) is $50 USD per term while secondary schools demand up to $100 USD per term. There are 3 terms per year. These fees are beyond the reach of the ordinary person trying to have a roof over their head and access basic needs such as food. The averageincome is $1-$2 USD a day.
Electric black outs continue to be the order of the day adding an additional cost to the family budget to buy firewood so they can cook food. The demand for firewood in the city makes wood energy very expensive. Some people have resorted to generators powered by diesel but the cost of diesel is equally prohibitive.
HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, and emotional distress are prominent in Zimbabwe. Many deaths could be avoided if people had food and affordable medical care. Cases of suicide are more common due to the increased stress of of trying to get basic items like food. Girls simply want to get married even when they are not yet ready so that they will have someone to take care of them. Boys or men can hardly take care of themselves let alone a wife. Girls drop out of school prematurely because they cannot afford the school fees. Food is generally available in the shops but the costs are beyond the reach of the ordinary person. Zimbabwe did not have a good harvest this year due to flooding and erratic rains in some areas. Imports are coming in from South Africa with additional fees added on for trasportation and import duty.
Today there is a woman in Zimbabwe whose husband has not been home almost for a month. He is literally running away from responsibility because he cannot take care of himself let alone his family. The woman's deteriorating health warrants hospitalization but the family can not afford to hire a car to take her to hospital let alone to meet the hospital bills. If you go to the hospital during visiting housr, you are almost tempted to think that there is a "mass demonstration" by the sheer number of people waiting to see relatives who are sick. The medical care one gets is heavily compromised as people now resist to go to hospitals knowing that their condition may deteriorate even faster as compared to a situation when they can get proper home based care. Apart from lack of drugs, the health care personnel are not motivated due to depressed allowances and the general working environment. The public health system is generally staffed with junior staff who are not yet well versed with the ropes of the hippocratic oath. Most senior doctors went into the Diaspora while the remaining senior ones are now in private practice, beyond the reach of all and sundry. The average consultation fee for senior doctors is $80 USD.
Please consider donating funds today to feed children in Zimbabwe tomorrow.
Electric black outs continue to be the order of the day adding an additional cost to the family budget to buy firewood so they can cook food. The demand for firewood in the city makes wood energy very expensive. Some people have resorted to generators powered by diesel but the cost of diesel is equally prohibitive.
HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, and emotional distress are prominent in Zimbabwe. Many deaths could be avoided if people had food and affordable medical care. Cases of suicide are more common due to the increased stress of of trying to get basic items like food. Girls simply want to get married even when they are not yet ready so that they will have someone to take care of them. Boys or men can hardly take care of themselves let alone a wife. Girls drop out of school prematurely because they cannot afford the school fees. Food is generally available in the shops but the costs are beyond the reach of the ordinary person. Zimbabwe did not have a good harvest this year due to flooding and erratic rains in some areas. Imports are coming in from South Africa with additional fees added on for trasportation and import duty.
Today there is a woman in Zimbabwe whose husband has not been home almost for a month. He is literally running away from responsibility because he cannot take care of himself let alone his family. The woman's deteriorating health warrants hospitalization but the family can not afford to hire a car to take her to hospital let alone to meet the hospital bills. If you go to the hospital during visiting housr, you are almost tempted to think that there is a "mass demonstration" by the sheer number of people waiting to see relatives who are sick. The medical care one gets is heavily compromised as people now resist to go to hospitals knowing that their condition may deteriorate even faster as compared to a situation when they can get proper home based care. Apart from lack of drugs, the health care personnel are not motivated due to depressed allowances and the general working environment. The public health system is generally staffed with junior staff who are not yet well versed with the ropes of the hippocratic oath. Most senior doctors went into the Diaspora while the remaining senior ones are now in private practice, beyond the reach of all and sundry. The average consultation fee for senior doctors is $80 USD.
Please consider donating funds today to feed children in Zimbabwe tomorrow.
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