General Impression
Overall Rating: / 10
Zimbabwe is a fascinating country and I enjoyed my time there. The placement may be more suitable to school leavers than experienced professionals. In terms of the HIV support project, there was little opportunity for any meaningful contribution but I was able to make my own suggestions such as First Aid training. I assisted the organisation to look at more diverse funding streams and will provide them ongoing support with their applications. I think this is a worthwhile organisation to support.Country
I found Zimbabwe an interesting place to be because of the dramatically changing political and social situation at present. Victoria Falls is stunning and the opportunities to visit National Parks and the neighboring countries of Zambia, Namibia and Botswana made it a great place to visit. The people are really lovely and thoughtful and there were no security issues whatsoever. The dire situation with unstable currency makes it a very expensive place to be and the younger volunteers with limited income found it very difficult. Everything is in short supply and healthy food is hard to get. They have made great advances in health care and education despite their government but now there is a shortage of medicine, fuel and even paper so those gains are being rapidly reversed. It is a very active country in terms of Christianity - over 500 sects operate mainly within a Pentecostal tradition. Traditional tribal culture has virtually disappeared but there are vestiges of strong beliefs from traditional sources that are hard to shift when it comes to western medicine.
Project & Staff
The project staff are really supportive, friendly and doing the best they can with few resources. Douglas is very talented and has the skills needed to manage this NGO. They are building new volunteer houses which will improve the housing situation greatly and the organisation is trying to be more modern and engaged in new forms of social assistance. I think they have good potential to achieve this and move away from the traditional orphanages and school models to supporting sustainable activities more suited to the dynamics of Zimbabwe.
Tips
Ensure you do substantial research on the best visa to get. The Kaza Visa is available on arrival and enables multiple visas to enter Zambia and Zimbabwe which is a bonus when you are so close to the border. You can't get it though if you are considered on a working visa which is required if you are staying for more than 1 month.
The unstable economy has resulted in chaos at shops and supermarkets and it is extremely expensive for volunteers. There is only one pharmacy in Victoria Falls with a monopoly. Volunteers needing a doctor pay US$100 for a consultation with tests and medication charged in addition.
The unstable economy has resulted in chaos at shops and supermarkets and it is extremely expensive for volunteers. There is only one pharmacy in Victoria Falls with a monopoly. Volunteers needing a doctor pay US$100 for a consultation with tests and medication charged in addition.