What would you say if you went through the line at the grocery store and were told, “That’s five hundred and thirty-thousand dollars please” for a bottled water ($30,000), loaf of bread ($150,000) and a chocolate bar ($350,000)?

You would laugh, look around curiously and say “Yeah, right. Where’s the hidden camera?” like you had just been had on “Just For Laughs”.

Well, you wouldn’t be laughing if you were in Zimbabwe because those are real prices. Their inflation rate is the highest in the world with prices increasing every day, sometimes by the hour. It is nearly impossible to buy a loaf of bread because there is a shortage of all basic necessities such as bread, cooking oil, sugar, as well as fuel. People will join a line on the street without knowing what they’re waiting for simply because the retailer must have an item in stock worth waiting for.

In June of 2006 $100,000 dollar bills were released in Zimbabwe with an expiry date of July 31, 2007 (even though they can still be used) and recently the $200,000 bill has been added into circulation. According to the International Monetary Fund $1 US converts into approximately $30,000 Z, although the exchange rate through the black market, which controls most everything in Zimbabwe, is around $120,000 Z or more per $1 US. You can imagine how much a $10 Z bill is worth. Literally any currency below $1,000 can be found blowing in the wind like leaves because they are worthless. Zimbabweans would rather trade their products for a pen, t-shirt, shampoo or any other useful item because it’s worth more than their money.

Formerly known as Rhodesia, Zimbabwe was one of the wealthiest countries in Africa, their dollar being worth more than the US dollar in 1980 when it gained independence from Britain and changed its name. Shortly after, president Mugabe came into power and in 2000 he seized all property owned by white farmers and re-distributed it to black Zimbabweans, triggering a decline in agricultural exports (traditionally the country's leading export producing sector), exports and employment, as much of the confiscated land was not being re-cultivated due to a lack of education and understanding of how to manage commercially viable land. As a result, Zimbabwe is experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. In 2002 Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations on charges of human rights abuses during the land redistribution and of election tampering.

Following elections in 2005, the government initiated "Operation Murambatsvina," a supposed effort to crack down on illegal markets and homes that had seen slums emerge in towns and cities. This action has been widely condemned by opposition and international figures, who charge that it has left a substantial section of urban poor homeless. The Zimbabwe government has described the operation as an attempt to provide decent housing to the population although they have yet to deliver any new housing for the forcefully removed people. One of the pastor's we work with had built a small home for his mother on his property, but the government tore it down due to improper permits. This affected the people quite severely as so many families have expanded due to taking in and caring for other people and orphans due to the AIDS epidemic.

Aside from Zimbabwe’s astounding inflation rate and corrupt government, Zimbabweans face many plights that we could never imagine or hope to face in our lifetime.

Eight in ten people are without work. According to the World Health Organization, the estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS in 2003 was 22-28% with other sources stating as high as 35% to date. The average life expectancy is 37 years old, which dropped drastically from age 60 in 1990. The number of children orphaned by aids and other disease is 1.4 million. For urban dwellers, daily power outages and frequent water shutoffs make it hard to complete basic daily functions. Medical clinics are sparse and even if people make the long trek to get to one, the necessary medicine will likely not be available.

Zimbabwe's current economic and food crisis, described by some observers as the country's worst humanitarian crisis since independence, has been attributed to a drought affecting the entire region, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the government's price controls and land reforms.

These repressive conditions have led to a flood of refugees into neighboring countries, an estimated 3.4 million Zimbabweans — a quarter of the population.

The Republic of Zimbabwe is a country found in the south eastern part of Africa, surrounded by two rivers and four countries. The official language of Zimbabwe is English, however the majority of the population speaks Shona, one of the native languages of Zimbabwe.

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Informational Web sites

www.data.org - Organization started by Bono From U2

DATA Maps - Cool maps from D.A.T.A. with various statistics on African countries

www.zwnews.com - daily Zimbabwe news updates

www.zimbabwesituation.com - daily news updates

CIDA web site – Zimbabwe information from the Canadian International Development Agency