The Republic of Zimbabwe is a landlocked country of nearly 400,00 km2 and in 2005 had a population of over 13,000,000 although some 3,500,000 now form a world-wide diaspora. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north-west and Mozambique to the east. Its name name is derived from ‘Zimba Remabwe’ meaning ‘big house of stone’ in the Shona language is a tribute to the capital of a once-great southern African Empire of Great Zimbabwe.

In recent years the economy of Zimbabwe (the bread-basket of Africa) has deteriorated from one of the strongest in Africa to one of the weakest in the world and is currently in a state of hyperinflation.

According to the UN WHO life expectancy for women in Zimbabwe is, at 34 years, the lowest in the world.