UNICEF Zimbabwe Annual Report 2025
Our 2025 Country Office Annual Report shows that hard‑won gains for children cannot be taken for granted. A case in point is the evidence of increasing neonatal and infant mortality rates.
Highlights
In 2025, Zimbabwe continued to demonstrate its commitment to children by increasing allocations to key social sectors. Strong national leadership helped safeguard essential services, including immunisation, education and child protection, while advancing important legal and policy reforms that strengthen the rights and wellbeing of children. These efforts have been instrumental in ensuring that critical services continue to reach children despite an increasingly difficult operating environment.
The report also highlights the effectiveness of community-based approaches and integrated service delivery models. From care groups supporting improved nutrition and health practices, to peer-led adolescent programmes empowering young people to make informed decisions, these platforms have proven particularly successful in reaching children and communities that traditional systems often struggle to serve. Their success reinforces the importance of investing in locally driven solutions that place communities and children at the heart of development efforts.
Importantly, the achievements documented in this report provide compelling evidence that investments in resilient and inclusive systems deliver results. Whether through strengthening primary healthcare, expanding access to safe water and sanitation, improving learning opportunities, or supporting vulnerable families through social protection, targeted investments continue to make a measurable difference in the lives of children.
As Zimbabwe looks ahead, sustaining and accelerating progress for children will require continued commitment from Government, development partners, civil society, the private sector and communities themselves. At a time when global development financing is under pressure, it is more important than ever to recognise that investments in children are not simply social expenditures—they are investments in the country's future prosperity, resilience and sustainable development.
The choices made today will shape the opportunities available to future generations. By protecting the gains already achieved and prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable, Zimbabwe can continue to build a future in which every child survives, learns, is protected and has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
For every child, hope remains possible. But it requires action, partnership and sustained investment. The future of Zimbabwe depends on it.
