Health
In the 1980s and 1990s, Zimbabwe's health system was among the best performing on the continent, but it has been in steady decline since the early 2000s and the ongoing crisis into which the country has sunk. In recent years, this situation has led to a reduction in health budgets. The sector faces many challenges: shortage of qualified personnel, dilapidated and ill-equipped infrastructure, lack of medicines and essential products. The failure of the system has been exacerbated by humanitarian crises such as the cholera and measles epidemics and the persistence of HIV. Over the past five years, the country's poorest people have suffered the most, with a 40% drop in health care coverage. HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria are the top three health threats facing Zimbabweans. These diseases contribute significantly to mortality, especially among children. Each year, one in eleven children in Zimbabwe dies before their fifth birthday. Malaria is particularly severe in the eastern provinces. Zimbabwe has been and continues to be one of the countries most affected by HIV. It remains the leading cause of death in Zimbabwe, with a minimum of 19.4% of deaths in 2019 attributed to HIV. In 2021, 6,800 young people (ages 15-24) were newly infected with HIV. This is the most vulnerable age group and unprotected sex is the leading cause of new HIV infections in this age group. Zimbabwe is ranked among the 22 countries most affected by tuberculosis. In addition to these diseases, other major health problems include chronic malnutrition, which affects more than one-third of the country's children, diarrheal diseases, and health problems affecting pregnant women and newborns.
Education
Like the health sector, the education sector was a priority for the government after independence. The principle was to fight against illiteracy and to offer free and equal education to all. To do this, many primary schools were built, but especially secondary schools, and teachers were brought in temporarily from foreign countries (United Kingdom, Australia, Canada...). We practiced hot-seating, that is to say that courses were given to a part of the students in the morning and to another part in the afternoon. To meet the demand, which increased with the influx of refugees from neighboring Mozambique, local teacher training was promoted. By the 1990s, primary education was almost universal and half the population had completed secondary school. Like health care and many other sectors that require heavy government investment, education suffered greatly from the economic crisis that hit the country in the early 2000s. Many schools even had to close during the crisis of 2008-2009. The situation has since improved, but has not returned to the situation of the 1980s and 1990s. Teachers are poorly paid and their situation is worsening due to rampant inflation. Today, the education system consists of 13 years of primary and secondary school. The school year runs from January to December. It consists of three terms, totaling forty weeks, with one month of vacation between each term.
The place of women
The Zimbabwean constitution provides for equality between men and women. In practice, however, women suffer from disparities in many areas, and many still experience violence. Women continue to suffer from an entrenched patriarchal and sometimes religious culture that tends to view them as inferior to men. They are rarely consulted in decision making and must respect the wishes of men. They are often taught that they must respond favorably to their husband's sexual advances. Zimbabwean women face cultural and social challenges in their working lives, which affect their educational attainment, career development, and advancement. Women also accounted for the majority of low-skilled jobs, such as 70 percent of the agricultural labor force. Government efforts have narrowed the gap in school enrollment between boys and girls. Today, 50.5 per cent of boys and 49.5 per cent of girls are enrolled in secondary schools. On the other hand, Zimbabwe still experiences high rates of domestic and sexual violence. For example, 21 rapes are reported each day. Since not all rapes are reported, the actual number is likely higher. The number of reported rapes increased by 42% between 2010 and 2016. Of all reported violence against girls and women in Zimbabwe, 78% was inflicted by their spouse, father, or partner. Despite this context, women in Zimbabwe are present in almost every profession. They are found in law enforcement, traffic regulation, national park rangers, government, tourism, and in the management of several large companies. In the rural area, she is also dynamic, between growing gardens for the family needs and trading locally or with neighboring countries. She is a sculptor like Agnes Nyanhongo who carves stone with a very seductive feminine touch and whose objective is to contribute to the valorization of women in Zimbabwean society. She is a musician like Edith WeUtonga and Dudu Manhenga, whose songs leave no one indifferent. Their voices transport Zimbabwe into a world of music and creativity. Urban or rural, artist or businesswoman, they all work for a better representation of women in Zimbabwean society today.
