Zimbabwe

Save the Children in Zimbabwe

Since 1983 when Save the Children began operations in Zimbabwe, the organisation has remained committed to children, by supporting the government and communities to deliver on their mandate and make the country a better place for children. By implementing relevant child rights programmes, responding to emergencies and advocacy efforts, major milestones have been reached. These have all contributed towards ensuring that the Zimbabwean child survives, learns and is protected. Over the years Save the Children responded to several emergencies in Zimbabwe, notably the cholera emergency, drought and food insecurity, Cyclone Idai emergency , the COVID-19 emergency and lately the El' Nino induced drought.

We believe in working together, empowering and strengthening local capacity, hence we work mostly through partner organisation, such as local and International Non-governmental organisations, government departments and ministries, local authorities, communities and children. All our support in the communities is given freely, regardless of ethnicity, religious or political affiliation.

The situation for children in Zimbabwe

More than half of population are children. Despite the progress that has been made, high levels of inequality exist which prevents millions of children from surviving and reaching their full potential.

One in four children under the age of five are stunted, with highest rates of stunting in rural and remote areas. Neonatal mortality rates remain high, resulting in children dying within their first month of life.

Children, especially those living in rural and remote areas, struggle to access quality education, and many do not receive any early education, which is critical for their development.

Our impact for children

In 2023, Save the Children directly reached

336 444 people in the country including more than 162 864 children.

What we do

Health and Nutrition: We work with the government and partners to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and child malnutrition by scaling up high-impact interventions, advocating for improved health systems and working on social norms and behavior change.

Food Security & Livelihoods: We work with partners to strengthen resilience and sustainable livelihoods, which includes delivering cash transfers and providing life skills training to young people. We also offer financial services through savings groups and train women and youth on nutrition-sensitive agriculture and production.

Child Protection: We strengthen formal and informal child protection mechanisms to keep children safe from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. We work with parents and caregivers to help them care for their children without violence and we ensure that vulnerable children received the support and protection services they need.

Child rights governance: our interventions, have focused broadly on budget advocacy, international treaty reporting, influencing policies and legislation and supporting the participation of children and young persons in governance matters.

Education: We help young children access early education (both pre-primary and primary), which allows them to develop literacy and numeracy skills through play. We also help out of school children in Dadaab refugee camp access primary education through the Alternative Basic Education centres. We also work with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education to advocate for education reforms, including reforms for education in emergencies.

Adolescents & Youth: We work with adolescents and youth to ensure they realise their rights by giving them a voice and a platform to engage with their leaders.

Humanitarian response: We ensure communities are prepared for disasters, and support emergency relief efforts through the provision of supplies and on-the-ground support.