Zimbabwe

	Zimbabwe Country Representative:
	Tsitsi Choruma
	Programme coordinator in London:
	David Tanner
	No. of development workers currently in post:
	5
	We have been working in Zimbabwe since 1980

Progressio has been involved in advocacy work on Zimbabwe since the 1960s, when it opposed the racist regime of Ian Smith. Following the country's independence in 1980, Progressio argued for policies and action that would benefit the poor and marginalised, and spoke out against the detrimental policies and actions of the ruling ZANU-PF party.

In the 1990s Progressio began placing experienced development workers (DWs) with local partner organisations and institutions in Zimbabwe. These DWs have:

• worked with small-scale farming communities on sustainable food production, improved access to markets and setting up small loan schemes
• helped a range of local NGOs working on HIV and AIDS to set up Voluntary Counselling & Testing centres, develop improved resources and raise awareness of HIV and AIDS
• helped disabled people in Bulawayo to gain access to mobility aids, education, improved housing and direct employment or livelihoods
• helped develop the skills and knowledge of a range of health care professionals in a number of hospitals and health clinics around Zimbabwe.

Challenges remain:

• Despite a recent fall in infection rates, the overall number of people living with HIV and AIDS remains very high in Zimbabwe and continues to grow. Although awareness of the disease is generally high and people living with the disease face less stigma than previously, tackling the epidemic and its consequences remains a serious challenge for Zimbabwe's impoverished population. Progressio is currently developing new partnerships with church groups and faith-based organisations that help address issues surrounding HIV and AIDS within their local communities.
• In 2007 Progressio plans to develop new partnerships in Zimbabwe around the theme of sustainable environment - aiming in particular to help address the potential impact of genetically modified organisms and terminator technology, and to promote sustainable farming methods.

Read more about our work:

Zimbabwe - Country Programme Statement 94k Word