Zimbabwe has been ruled for almost three decades by Robert Mugabe, the independence leader who became the country's first black President. Until 2008, Zimbabwe was effectively a one-party state. A power-sharing deal has raised hopes for the country's future but in the meantime the economy remains in tatters, poverty and unemployment are rife and political repression continues.
Children in Zimbabwe face a particularly challenging situation. The collapse of the economy has resulting in huge increases in poverty. Many children are orphaned, a huge number depend on food aid and their rights are denied on numerous fronts. Every day in Zimbabwe, 100 children below the age of five die, mostly from easily preventable diseases.
