The Zimbabwe Council of Churches prayerfully presents the Household Care Burden Survey (HCBS) for the nation’s consideration. It is the Church’s hope that the Report will inform evidence-based policy debate and collective efforts to reduce the care burden on struggling households.
Over 88% of the households have average monthly incomes below US$600 as they depend on the informal economy for their survival. However, the reality is that informal economy jobs are often low paying, unpredictable and insecure. Most of those in formal employment have depressed incomes. As a result, most households are forced into difficult copying strategies such as borrowing (32%), cutting food expenditures (29%), assistance from relatives and friends (25%), cutting health expenditure (9%) and cutting education expenditure (5%).
Many households are in a state of poverty, precarious employment and unemployment. Austerity measures, heavy cut backs to basic social services and incessant price hikes increase the economic vulnerability of many households. Recurrent economic shocks and lock many households in multigenerational cycles of poverty. The Church calls for broad based and inclusive policy measures to uplift struggling households.
