Zimbabwe has
thousands of NGOs and CSOs across a range of sectors, with the majority of them
getting huge chunks of their funding from the US.
The categories
that have been severely affected are humanitarian aid, service organisations
and political governance.
According to
the 2019 Labour Force and Child Labour Survey conducted by the Zimbabwe
National StatisticsAgency, the NGO sector accounts for 1,2% of the total
employed persons in the country, which translates to an aggregate figure of 17
643 formal jobs.
The figure
could, however, be larger amid indications that the sector was the second
largest employer in Zimbabwe after government.
Employees who
spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday told NewsDay that they were uncertain
about their continued employment after Trump’s 90-day review.
“We are in a
difficult position. We don’t know what will happen after the 90 days,” one of
them said.
“I also do not
know where I will get money for rentals since our salaries were also frozen.”
Zimbabwe Nurses
Association secretary-general Enock Dongo told NewsDay that nurses, who were
working at local clinics under the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids
Relief (PEPFAR) programme, have been told not to come to work.
“We have
members who have been working at local clinics who have been told not to report
to duty today (yesterday).
“Those people
are under emotional stress and also the patients who were waiting for them are
affected,” he said.
“What the Trump
administration has done is very disrespectful. You cannot just wake up and tell
people not to come to work without notice.
“Even if the
Zimbabwean government wants to chip in, it needs to prepare first. Africa
should wake up and not rely on Western funds.”
Most of the
workers were told to surrender vehicles and gadgets belonging to the NGOs.
Crisis in
Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) director Blessing Vava said it was high time the
country and the NGO sector came up with ways to deal with national problems.
“I think it is
an opportunity for us to go back to the basics and build organic movements,
where voluntarism and sacrifice are at the centre,” he said.
“Trump is doing
what he is doing for his country and the American people.
“We are
Zimbabweans and can never be American, so let’s focus on fixing our problems
instead.” Newsday
