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Zimbabwe Crisis Leads to Greater Need for Youth Aid Programs

The IDEX-sponsored Girl Child Network is thriving in spite of huge cultural obstacles and the fallout from Zimbabwe's March election.

"Being a member of the Girl Child Network has greatly transformed my life. I now have the voice to speak against what I don't feel is right."

Zimbabwe is in the midst of its worst-ever economic crisis, with inflation over 100%. Robert Mugabe won an election in March that Western governments condemned as corrupt, and violence and hardship have increased ever since.

Hunger is now a part of everyday life, with staple foods almost impossible to find. Families live on one meal a day, and unemployed youth and children are particularly vulnerable. Many may resort to theft, prostitution, drug abuse and petty crime merely to survive.

Under such conditions, the International Development Exchange, a BAIDO member, reported recently that enrollment in a youth program it helps sponsor in Zimbabwe had grown 50 percent since the start of this year.

The Kuwadzana Integrated Youth Survival Alternative (KUIYSAP) was founded in 1996 in a crowded, low-income Harare suburb. It trains school dropouts and unemployed youth in technical, leadership, and micro-enterprise skills. The program has proved a key forum for youth to discuss the social issues confronting them, including violence prevention, human rights, and HIV/AIDS awareness.

In spite of the increased difficulty for NGOs to work in Zimbabwe, IDEX also continues to sponsor another youth aid organization. The Girl Child Network, founded by a school teacher, fights the repressive cultural and societal reality that young girls face in their schools and communities.

Originally a single school's club for girl empowerment and the sharing of problems such as physical and sexual abuse, GCN spread throughout Chitungwiza and beyond to Rusape, about 250 km from Harare. It now counts over 50 clubs, helping 4500 girls with safe houses, career and income workshops, advocacy, legal support, education and training.

As more young girls drop out of school, the become increasingly vulnerable to prostitution. The pre and post election period (March 2002) has intensified the situation with rape and intimidation widespread, especially in rural areas.

And since Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection in Sub Saharan Africa, GCN's work to prevent sexual abuse and increase understanding of HIV/AIDS has become especially critical. It is estimated that 30 out of 1500 people who die of AIDS weekly in Zimbabwe are girls aged between 13-15 years.

"Being a member of the Girl Child Network has greatly transformed my life," said Judith Gombe, a student at Zengeza High School in Chitungwiza. "I now have the voice to speak against what I don't feel is right. I now prefer taking the lead than always having to follow. I have my rights. I know them and nobody can deprive me of these rights."

For more information on youth programs and the current situation in Zimbabwe, call Sara Hobson at the International Development Exchange, (415) 824-8384, or email sarah@idex.org.