In an interview with The Zimbabwean on Monday on the sidelines of a peace building initiatives workshop held in the city, the Projects Coordinator of ZPBF, David Gwamure, said the adoption of hard currencies may have improved the situation in urban areas, but had worsen the plight of those in the rural areas.
“This has quickened the disintegration of rural families, as there is little cash available and younger family members are forced to migrate to neighbouring countries in a bid to earn foreign currency,” said Gwamure.
He said this meant the country would continue losing the youths to the Diaspora and those left behind would struggle to survive.
“We have seen a situation where rural communities are failing to access foreign currency and this has led to some of them lose their lifetime possessions like livestock, domestic property and farm produce in barter trade in order to access essential services like treatment and education for their children,” he said.
He noted that the frequency and exploitative nature of the barter trade, coupled with the desperation that most villagers find themselves in had plunged most of these poor families into deeper poverty, while also threatening their food security.
Gwamure said although the inclusive government formed three years ago was being touted by many as the best opportunity in years to end political and economic strife in Zimbabwe and launch the country on a path to economic recovery, the situation in rural areas painted a gloomy picture.
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