Zim’s humanitarian crisis persists

“It has been years since council supplied us with water. Every household in Maridale (Norton) has a well, but October poses headaches for us. The month is scorching and most of our wells have run dry,” he said.
And as the world celebrated Humanitarian Day last Wednesday — a day commemorated on August 19 every year across the globe — Kauso was among the millions of Zimbabweans battling to secure clean water, a crisis affecting 1,1 billion people across the world.
In developing countries, some 2,2 million people die every year from diseases associated with lack of access to clean potable water.
In sub-Saharan Africa, 40 billion hours are spent each year collecting water according to a Johannesburg-based non governmental organisation, Water for All.
The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that 4 500 children die each year before their fifth birthday due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene problems.
And seven months following the formation of the inclusive government that everyone had hoped would bring some relief to the struggling nation, resolving the country’s humanitarian problems is proving to be a daunting task that might take time to resolve.
More and more of the country’s urban areas are depending on borehole water as local authorities struggle to pump the precious resource to consumers.
In a speech to mark the World Humanitarian Day, the local United Nations Humanitarian coordinator Agostinho Zacarias said six million Zimbabweans have limited or no access to safe water and sanitation in rural and urban areas.
He noted that the humanitarian situation in the country remains critical.
“Although Zimbabwe is not facing armed conflict, humanitarian threats such as food shortages and the outbreak of diseases such as cholera pose a significant challenge. Other areas of vulnerability need to be urgently addressed as Zim-babwe’s overall humanitarian situation remains critical.
“Projected needs as outlined in the revised consolidated appeal for 2009 include…an estimated 2,8 million in need of food aid at the peak of 2009/2010 lean season; 1,5 million children requiring support to access education; the HIV infection rate of 15,6 percent deepens the population’s vulnerability,” said Zacarias.
Although the formation of the inclusive government in February saw the restoration of a number of essential services, two weeks ago Zimbabwe’s government doctors went on strike in a development that threatens to worsen the humanitarian situation at a time when swine flue has been detected in the country’s eastern border city of Mutare with new cases of cholera being reported elsewhere.
Addressing the Zimbabwe Medical Association annual congress last week, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai conceded that the health sector remains in the intensive care.
He appealed to the striking doctors to return to work in the face of the swine flue saying the country cannot afford to lose more lives due to problems in the health sector as happened last year during the outbreak of cholera.
The premier added that he is following the doctors’ strike “closely and personally”.
“As you may recall I have toured a number of health institutions so as to get first hand information on the state of health care in our nation. Sadly, it is a far cry from the shining example that it was a few years back. One might say it is itself in intensive care,” said the premier.
“I know that your conditions of service still leave a lot to be desired. You cannot have a better trade unionist than myself to appreciate your conditions. It is almost a recurrence that every year we have a junior doctors’ strike, it is now almost part of the calendar. I think it needs to be arrested, I urge the doctors on industrial action to recognise the efforts that the Ministry of Health has made and is continuing to make.”
This week the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) said indications on the ground are that the October/November schools examinations would be botched by the Zimbabwe Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) in the same manner as it did last year.
“So far, indications are that the same problems, which schools and candidates experienced in 2008 are still hanging about and will revisit the 2009 October/November examination sessions. If ZIMSEC had an organisational conscience, surely it could have learnt from its string of blunders and worked to restore the integrity of our examination system,” Osward Madziva PTUZ’s programmes and communications officer said.
The teachers union said traditionally, students register for October-November examinations in March and statements of entries are issued to candidates to allow them to make any corrections, but without registration students cannot prepare.
“Delayed registration will result in the printing, packaging and distribution of the examination papers. The centres may not receive adequate or the correct papers. This lack of preparedness may force some schools either to photocopy question papers or to quarantine candidates as some did in 2008. ZIMSEC may be forced again to seek the help of strangers (to the education sector) to distribute examination material as it did in 2008,” said Madziva.