Snippets

A midwife from one community charges the following to give birth: one piece of cloth (a wrap); one chicken; a bucket of maize; and two bars of soap. That is far less than the cost of giving birth in a hospital, which is normally around $50.

Being on the road in Zimbabwe is dangerous. Since I arrived last week, a bus crashed and killed 41 passengers. Earlier this week, another combi accident killed 17, including 5 children. That raised the death toll from accidents over the 4-day holiday weekend to 35.

Doctors at public hospitals in Harare are on strike as of early last week.

Public school teachers in Zimbabwe earn $100 per month. Several people have told me that public schools in Harare have not been teaching children for over a year. Recently, the teachers have come to work, but they don’t teach their classes.

Someone I met who works for an NGO here tells me that one of the households they assist has three people. The oldest member of the household is a 13-year-old girl. She cares for two younger siblings, including a 6-year-old. Both of their parents have died of HIV.

A friend of mine here has an uncle in a rural part of Zimbabwe with 8 wives.

Several people told me they that they know kids in Zimbabwe named “Problem” and “Regret.” Others are named “Cute” and “Delicious.”

Traffic signals in Harare are called robots.