Simple Complications

The economic situation here creates two large challenges that add time and complication to everyone's lives. Since the currency is so unstable and constantly losing value the banks are limiting people to only withdrawing 500,000 zim dollars per day which equates to 25 cents US. It's illegal to pay bills in other currencies yet the water department and cell phone companies will not accept checks so every day people have to go to the bank to withdraw the 25 cents worth of zim dollars so that they can pay these bills with cash. Otherwise it's a purely US dollar, South African Rand or Botswana Pula economy also translated to "fuel coupons" to create a legal form of currency exchange. Wages are extremely low, a person with a good job as a teacher, gardener or maid makes no more than $150 US per month but the food and fuel prices here are the same or higher than that in America.

Hand-in-hand with these economic challenges are food shortages and the reality that the cost of food relative to wages leaves a huge gap. Agriculture production in this country, which used to be the bread basket of southern Africa has been suffering for more than a decade with not enough food production to support its own people. This year there are less seeds available so its expected that hunger and malnutrition will increase next year. At the township market the only foods available for sale are tomatoes, onions, kale, okra, a few potatoes, oranges and live chickens. People walk across the boarder to Zambia to carry bags of maize home on their heads and bicycles because it's too expensive or completely unavailable here.