Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe moved from being the envy of Africa to a nation boasting the highest inflation and the lowest life expectancy in the world. The situation in Zimbabwe is truly dire for all. People are literally starving to death as Zimbabwe lurches from one crisis to the next.

The Jewish population in Zimbabwe is just 200 people (down from a peak of 7,500 in the 1970s in what was originally Rhodesia) of which more than two thirds are 65 or older. The astronomical official unemployment rate of 95% has resulted in the increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities.

Until early 2009, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe routinely printed money to fund the budget deficit, causing hyperinflation; in 2008, the inflation rate was 14.9 billion per cent. The new government formed in February 2009 has led to some economic improvements, including the cessation of hyperinflation by eliminating the use of the Zimbabwe dollar and removing price controls. The economy is registering its first growth in a decade, but will be reliant on further political improvement for greater growth.

Severe health problems exist in Zimbabwe with a life expectancy of only 45 years, an HIV prevalence rate of 15.3% (2007) and infant mortality rate of 32 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Bulawayo suffers from acute water shortages, which leads to illness and even death as people resort to digging small wells and drinking contaminated water. Unreliable electricity supplies have wrought havoc on the winter wheat crop in a country that is already unable to feed a quarter of its population. In some areas there are 20 hour power cuts on a daily basis.