Program Details: Zimbabwe

Mrs. Changiwa, a community garden member, and her family in Murambinda. In the area, a family of six must make a living on less than $1 day. Malnutrition is common, especially among children, and most families can no longer afford school fees. Vegetables represent a meal both before and after school for her children and are also sold to buy needed household items such as sugar, soap, and other supplies. All four of Mrs. Chagwira's children are now attending school. Photo: Robert Maroni/Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is responding to the needs of Zimbabwe's most vulnerable people during difficult economic and political times, focusing on orphans and vulnerable children, urban poverty, and water and community health.

Programs in Focus

Strengthening Community Response to Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Mercy Corps is helping several thousand children, many of whose parents have died of AIDS, get tuition-free access to schools, participate in youth clubs and receive special attention from locally elected "Child Protection Committees." Piloted with money from UNICEF and currently funded by the Netherlands Embassy, the project aims to finance the education of orphans in 20 wards of the Goromonzi District on the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe's capital.

Coordinated Humanitarian Response to Urban Vulnerability
In urban areas of Zimbabwe, Mercy Corps leads a joint initiative of seven global humanitarian agencies working to restore the dignity and reduce the suffering of 12,000 households. Mercy Corps oversees implementation of the project and also manages the project's educational component, which is directed at helping 1,400 orphans and vulnerable children.

Water and Community Health
In the drought-prone areas of Manicaland and Masvingo Provinces, Mercy Corps is implementing a water and community health project. This project aims to ensure sustained access to safe drinking water and improved health of families living in rural communities in Buhera and Chipinge districts, through improved infrastructure, community management of water resources, and a reduction of water-borne illnesses. The two-year project is funded by the UK's Big Lottery Fund.