Calls for reconciliation follow fraught elections © Chris Kabwato/ Progressio

A senior Zimbabwean Catholic, Father Fradereck Chiromba has called on the country to move towards healing and reconciliation.

His appeal comes after the signing of the political power-sharing deal between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai.

Fr Chiromba is the Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference. He attended Monday's signing ceremony in Harare.

He said, 'Development doesn't work unless it goes hand-in-hand with healing and reconciliation for those people who have been traumatised by the violence.

'The Catholic Church has always played a pivotal role in prioritising the needs of the people and will continue to do so as we all hope and pray that peoples' lives will now change for the better.'

There were many 'huge challenges' ahead for the beleaguered country, Fr Chiromba said.

'One of the immediate challenges is getting food to people,' he said. 'There is a great need to provide basic food aid as people are coping with a bad harvest and of course the country's dire economic situation.

'There are also no medicines in the hospitals. Doctors do not even have aspirins to give out and there is the situation of the three million or so Zimbabweans living in neighbouring countries.'

Progressio works with people living with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe. Read about daily life for Progressio Country Representative, Kevin Nderema.