Why Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa and is about the size of Germany and Denmark combined, but with around 15 million inhabitants it has a low population density (42 people/km²; 2022). The population growth rate of 1.6% (2021) is very low compared to Africa. The climate is tropical with alternating humidity and temperate temperatures on the prevailing high plateaus. The rainy season is from November to March, and from May to August, i.e. the "winter" of the southern hemisphere, it is a little cooler: in the capital Harare, which is located at an altitude of 1480 m, it is only 13°C in June and July (average monthly temperature). In 2017, the long-time ruler Robert Mugabe was deposed by the military after 37 years in office. After the current president, E. Mnangagwa, came to power, the country is still in a deep crisis, human rights violations are the order of the day, and opposition journalists and demonstrators are repeatedly arbitrarily arrested. Today, Zimbabwe, which was still recognized in the 1980s for its good level of education and social and economic success, is one of the poorest countries in the world. In terms of the Human Development Index (HDI), the country ranks 146th out of a total of 189 countries.

In the former breadbasket of Africa, there are increasing supply crises. Climate change is reflected in increasingly frequent floods and droughts, most recently in 2019 and 2021. A land reform in 2000-2003, which had catastrophic economic effects, has also meant that the country can no longer feed itself. The brutal expropriation and persecution of white farmers has made Zimbabwe increasingly isolated in foreign policy and, in addition to political mistakes in the country, the willingness abroad to invest in the country has also declined. Capital flight and deindustrialization have had devastating effects.

That is why a political turnaround is now taking place: around 3,500 formerly expropriated white farmers are now to be compensated with $850,000 per head. Money that the state does not actually have. The economic crisis is taking on increasingly threatening proportions, the currency is in free fall. Millions of Zimbabweans are starving, also because climate disasters and the corona pandemic are further weakening the country.

Status: April 2022

Chiedza Chenyika Organization

Chiedza Chenyika Organization:
Impressions from the projects

KETAAKETI has been working in Zimbabwe since 2021 with Melissa Gwenzi, which also started its first microfinance pilot project that year. Of the 32 microfinances granted by summer 2022, some repayments have already been made.

While Ms. Gwenzi was waiting for the registration of the NGO she initiated, she temporarily worked under the umbrella of an existing organization, “Open Heart Disability Care and Rehabilitation,” which supports people with disabilities. 

Since it is not possible to register a new NGO for political reasons, Ms. Gwenzi was unable to continue her programs for a while. But now, through cooperation with  Chiedza Chenyika Organization  a solution satisfactory to all parties has been found.

Mellisa Gwenzi reports:

"Given the deteriorating conditions in Zimbabwe, my aim is to reduce the gap between the poor and the privileged as much as possible. Since women are the backbone of the family, I am happy to work with the poor and try to uplift them and improve their lives."

Mellisa Gwenzi:

Impressions from the projects