The Sham State of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's government has pledged transparency in its handling of all donor funds aimed for the fight against Aids.The statement follows the recent controversy, which saw the Global Aids fund compel Harare to repay $7 million, after it was alleged that government had diverted the money to other causes.With around one in seven adults living with HIV, Zimbabwe is experiencing one of the harshest Aids epidemics in the world. Donors suspected that the money had been used to fund other government programmes including farm distribution, and lavish gratuities.
World Aids Day, observed on December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the Aids pandemic caused by the spread of HIV. Aids has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history.
One Zimbabwean national, Loveness Dzvimba has been living with HIV for the past 18 years but she's never felt more vulnerable to the disease. Life has been really tough for many Zimbabweans, but it's been a nightmare for those living with the virus: “ARVs are being sold in foreign currency at about R300 for a month's supply, and most of us simply can't afford.”
As the health system collapses, private medical aids are now virtually non-existent and basic measures such as a balanced diet are but a pipe-dream for many Aids patients.
Zimbabwe's deputy health minister Edwin Muguti says due to the shortages of food, it has been difficult to extend their home-based care programmes. “We're also having difficulties with children made vulnerable by Aids. I'd urge NGOs and all our other partners, to scale up their activities.”
NGOs lament the time lost, when government barred them from operating for almost two months earlier this year and now they've got to deal with the cholera epidemic. Dr Patience Musiwa, a volunteer doctor, says: “If you're living in an area where sewage is flowing in the cities, where there's no proper sanitation, and you already have a compromised immune system, it's very difficult to stay healthy.”
Of the estimated 300 000 Aids patients known to be in urgent need of ARVs, only half are believed to be on medication.