Published on The Tennessee Tribune on 23rd March 2021
Edited by Judith Isacoff and Matthew B. Hall
Villagers in Chimanimani, eastern Zimbabwe, attempt to reconstruct a flood-damaged bridge weeks after the water level has subsided. (Photo courtesy of Liberty Dube)
In Zimbabwe, hundreds of children in rural areas cannot attend school because of heavy rains that have flooded roads and bridges. Torrential rains have been on-going since January 2021. Schools have opened in March 2021 for the first time since the national lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The heavy rainfall has brought to attention issues with Zimbabwe’s infrastructure, which has not been modernised in decades. A report by the African Development Bank has commented that the declining quality in infrastructure is an obstacle to economic growth in African countries. In addition, the economic downturn as a result of the national lockdown has further depleted the country’s resources.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe have stated that teachers are finding it impossible to get to schools in rural areas because of the washed-out roads and bridges.
In February 2021, the Zimbabwean government stated that $80 million has been invested in an Emergency Road Rehabilitation Program. This program was created in 2018 but the funds necessary to start the program were not available at that time.
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