Goromonzi District
Goromonzi District is a district of Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe, in southern Africa. It is located in the eastern part of Zimbabwe, and covers an area of approximately 3,500 square miles (9,100 km2). As of the 2012 census it had a population of 224,987, up from 154,262 in the 2002 census. The people who live in the region are principally from the Shona tribe.
Goromonzi lies in Mashonaland East, and is represented in the national Parliament by the single seat of Goromonzi in the Senate and by three seats (Goromonzi North, Goromonzi South, and Goromonzi West) in the House of Assembly.
Until 1999 the economy of the area was flourishing and many of the local residents of Goromonzi were employed, and had jobs on commercial farms that were growing flowers and gourmet vegetables in greenhouses for export to Europe. These commercial farms are no longer operational due to the Zimbabwean government's land reform programme which evicted and drove white born Zimbabweans out of their homes and off commercial farms. Local unemployment is now standing at 80% or more. Traditional families now base their livelihoods on subsistence farming methods growing corn, pumpkins and other crops that are dependent on rainfall. At the current rate of inflation the cost of fertilizers and seeds are prohibitive for them and there is limited access to market today.
The AIDS epidemic in the Goromonzi district has decimated the adult population with devastating effects on the community and family structures, the economy, and the general morale..
Food is the most critical concern of the people of Goromonzi. Unemployment, lack of transportation, the fact that there are few adults between the ages of 25 and 60, and a lack of farming knowledge passed from parents to children have all contributed to the difficulty in obtaining and producing food. Many children and adults are malnourished due to the scarcity of food in the region. Most have only one meal per day.
Three medical clinics are available for the community. Resources are strained to serve such a wide area; and some people have to walk 12 miles (19 km) or more to get care. Although malaria is not a serious problem due to Goromonzi’s altitude, schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is widespread and goes untreated along with a multitude of parasitic infections and other easily treated illnesses.
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