Covid-19 has brought on Strain on Zimbabwe’s Orphans

Zimbabwe’s social services were previously run with enviable bureaucratic efficiency, but ever since the economy took a knock toward the end of the millennium, the country rapidly shifted to what critics say is a failed state. The country requires millions of dollars to provide for its pensioners, people with disabilities and orphans, with inflation eroding the little stipends vulnerable groups get from the government. Since the first Covid-19 death was reported in March 2020, the coronavirus had, by April 22, claimed a reported 5 467 lives, throwing into despair thousands of people in a country where low incomes have made it difficult for millions to get basic essential services.  For years, the country’s social services have struggled to provide for orphans in particular, with an estimated 1.3 million children having lost one or both parents to Aids.

SOURCE: MAIL & GUARDIAN