US Government Assistance to Zimbabwe tops $3.5 billion since 1980 and HIV Aids

The United States remains the largest provider of health and humanitarian assistance, including the U.S. President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), food assistance, and disaster relief, to the people of Zimbabwe. Since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, the U.S. government has provided over US$3.5 billion to the people of Zimbabwe, including initiatives to increase food security, support economic resilience, improve health outcomes, and promote democratic governance.

By Crucial Kuwanga

“We stand by the commitments that we made to the people of Zimbabwe at independence in 1980, to work together to promote democratic institutions, equitable economic growth, public health, and food security,” says Ambassador Brian A. Nichols. “The United States deeply respects the people of Zimbabwe and remains committed to working together with Zimbabweans to realize the promise of a more peaceful, more productive, and more prosperous 21st century Africa.”

For the past four decades, the United States has consistently supported Zimbabwe when the country faces emergency needs, such as Cyclone Idai and the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.

The U.S. committed over US$19 million to help Zimbabwe respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This amount includes $10 million to ensure that 100,000 people in eight urban areas have access to adequate food supplies between August 2020 and January 2021. In addition, previous U.S. investments in the health care system totaling over a billion dollars laid the foundation for Zimbabwe’s efforts to combat COVID-19. U.S. health assistance concentrates on the prevention and treatment of the diseases that are the three leading causes of death in Zimbabwe—HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria—to help Zimbabweans live longer and healthier lives.