Zimbabwe
Since International Medical Corps began working in Zimbabwe, during the 2008–2009 cholera epidemic, we have delivered quality health and nutrition services in food-insecure rural areas while improving nutrition and helping to reduce the spread of waterborne diseases by implementing proper water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices among underserved populations.
In 2013, we increased our development-oriented programming as part of a consortium in which International Medical Corps led the health, nutrition and WASH components. Today, our teams continue to improve maternal and child health, nutrition and WASH in communities and health facilities while strengthening local healthcare systems, training local healthcare workers, preventing and responding to violence against women and girls, and improving overall self-reliance through community engagement.
17.1 million
44 deaths
per 1,000 live births
56/61 years
male/female
The Challenges
Food Insecurity
Extreme weather, including floods and droughts, has destabilised regional agriculture, causing severe food insecurity.
Malnutrition and High Mortality Rates
8 million people are in need of nutrition assistance, while nearly 25% of children are chronically malnourished.
Poor Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Nearly 40% of the rural population has no access to safe water sources, leaving them vulnerable to outbreaks of diseases.
Our Response
Nutrition and Food Security
International Medical Corps promotes agricultural resilience in Zimbabwe through inclusive local ownership programmes, integrated water resource management, and village savings and loan associations. Since 2013, we have promoted care groups through nutrition programmes in Binga, Bulilima, Gwanda, Hwange, Lupane, Mangwe, Nkayi and Tsholotsho districts. Our staff trains community health workers to promote and lead infant and young-child feeding (IYCF) programmes, as well as other care practices, for pregnant and lactating women and children during the critical period between conception and a child’s second birthday.
Healthcare Worker Training
International Medical Corps provides intensive training to district-level health staff and village health workers on the management of acute malnutrition, prevention of chronic malnutrition, surveillance of nutrition practices, and promotion of hygiene and a risk-informed approach to WASH. To create a more comprehensive emergency response network, International Medical Corps also trains village health workers on good maternal and IYCF practices, and on hygiene promotion. We also train community health workers to better prepare for, and respond to, flooding and drought.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Our WASH programming addresses the challenge of poor hygiene practices and a lack of environmental health education in Zimbabwe. Our teams have rehabilitated nearly 300 waterpoints and solarised nearly 80 community waterpoints (boreholes and springs). Since 2017, our work has created access to clean water for more than 80,000 community members.
Our Impact
Villages Take Ownership of Their Water and Health in Zimbabwe
Water is health, and our programmes are designed to sustain long-term health through water management and infrastructure maintenance.
READ MORE
A woman with her child at the International Medical Corps-supported waiting mother home in Binga, Zimbabwe.
An International Medical Corps-trained nurse examines a pregnant woman at the waiting mother home we support in Binga.
A woman harvests vegetables in the nutrition garden at Nkayi District Hospital, which benefited from our rehabilitation, in southern Zimbabwe.
Nomai Mumpande works in a nutrition garden in Dongamuse village, where our team drilled a community borehole to ensure consistent access to safe water.
A child collects water from a borehole that our team rehabilitated in Gwanda district in Matabeleland South.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s health-delivery system continues to face challenges caused by a severe economic downturn. The rates of newborn and maternal mortality are well above the World Health Organization (WHO) targets for sustainable development, as are the ratios of doctors and nurses to the general population. Many in Zimbabwe have no access to safe water sources, leaving them vulnerable to outbreaks of disease.
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What are the main humanitarian challenges in Zimbabwe?
Drought and flooding exacerbate the difficulty of implementing sustained humanitarian aid programs in Zimbabwe. Decreased access to clean water negatively affects nutrition and increases the incidence of multiple diseases. Cyclones, droughts and floods also present significant challenges to the people and infrastructure of Zimbabwe.
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How is International Medical Corps addressing maternal health issues in Zimbabwe?
Our teams in Zimbabwe construct, rehabilitate and operate waiting mother homes, where pregnant women stay to receive health services during the last weeks of pregnancy. At care facilities, we establish nutrition gardens that provide vegetables for pregnant mothers. Our team trains community health workers on infant and young-child feeding practices. We also conduct water and hygiene rehabilitations in healthcare facilities to improve the quality of care and prevent and control infections.
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How can I help people in Zimbabwe?
By donating to International Medical Corps, you can help us save lives in Zimbabwe and respond to other crises worldwide.