Epworth, Zimbabwe

Epworth is a suburb of Harare in Zimbabwe with 113 884 inhabitants ( 2002 census ). It is 20 km southeast of the capital at 1,509 meters above sea level and is one of the poorest and fastest-growing settlements in the periphery of the agglomerate.

Epworth is a prime example of "urban farm land." No house would not grown vegetables, no corn before. The people looking for work in the city but do not want to give up their rural roots. This increases the cost of infrastructure can be enormous and such places proliferate ground covering. At the same time (March 2006) are not paid and therefore shut down lines, which is why human rights groups protest solid with a reference to the right to health water bills in the amount of 16.5 million dollars ZW. The life and living conditions are miserable. The "houses" are made mostly from hardly more than a few boards with plastic sheeting. The problem of AIDS orphans is catastrophic, as the malnutrition of children. UNICEF is trying to solve it U.S. $ 900,000 raise, but has been able to collect only one-third. The University Hospital of Harare has recently opened a hospital with 12 rooms, which is hardly more than a gesture. Organizations of all kinds involved in this deprived area, which is typical for urban agglomerations around the globe.