Zimbabwe

Pact began working in Zimbabwe in the 1990s to combat HIV and AIDS, a disease that dramatically cut life expectancy in the country during that decade. Pact and its partners designed local solutions including post-HIV test clubs that encouraged testing among others, reduced stigma and offered support, counseling and referrals for treatment. We also trained hundreds of community volunteers and built the capacity of local organizations to take on HIV/AIDS-related missions, all of which helped raise Zimbabweans' life expectancy.

More recently, Pact’s work in Zimbabwe built the capacity of local organizations and institutions to better meet their public-service missions and address the country’s challenges locally. In addition to strengthening peace and security institutions, we supported local civil society organizations, improving their ability to effectively influence the country's transition to a democratic system.

Pact's work has also improved the lives of Zimbabwe’s artisanal and small-scale gold miners, helping to formalize the sector, bolster safety and environmental standards and reduce the dangerous use of mercury in gold mining.