Prioritising Zimbabwean children’s future in an uncertain time for global aid

One of the greatest joys of my work is meeting Zimbabwean children who inspire me with their ideas, resilience and engagement in crafting a better future for themselves. There’s nothing more fulfilling than witnessing the transformations that these children and adolescents are bringing about alongside adults.   Participation in school gardens towards nutritious meals, forging safe and innovative classrooms, or advocating in their communities and to parliamentarians on the importance of climate action – are just some of the many important paths enabling the realisation of their rights to education, protection and participation.

However, despite important progress being made, I see the urgent needs that remain—a child too small for their age due to lack of a nutritious diet, a girl missing school due to lack of menstrual health services, a baby dying due to preventable disease. These moments are a sobering reminder that we still have some ways to go, as we are fall short in providing what our children truly deserve. We must go further, faster, and together.

On June 16th, as we commemorate the Day of the African Child under the African Union theme “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress since 2010,” we are called to act.

The Global Context: A Shrinking Pool

Global development is in the throes of a seismic change.  Drastic aid cuts and reductions in Official Development Assistance (ODA), have left many low- and middle-income countries grappling with significant gaps in the provision of essential services, notably in HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment, access to essential drugs and qualified service providers for the technical expertise needed to sustain programmes. In Zimbabwe, this is compounded by a constrained fiscal environment, economic volatility and the increasing burden of climate-induced emergencies.

This reality necessitates a shift from reliance on external aid to a sustainable, domestic funding model that puts children at the centre. As the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child rightly notes, “States must take progressive and no regressive measures on budgetary allocations for children.”

Zimbabwe’s Progress

Zimbabwe’s commitment is evident in its policy frameworks. The National Development Strategy (NDS 1) prioritizes human capital development, health, education, and social protection—areas that directly impact children. The National Health Strategy, the Education Sector Strategic Plan, and the National Multi-Sectoral Food and Nutrition Security Strategy all reflect a recognition of children as the heart of national development.

Through initiatives like the Child Budgeting Series, launched by the Government in November 2021 with UNICEF support, key stakeholders—from ministries to Parliament and donors—have come together on a yearly basis to assess how economic policies translate into outcomes for children. These dialogues are not just technical exercises; they are a testament to the political will and commitment to the well-being of children.

Yet, despite this momentum, the financing gap remains large. As outlined in the SDG Financing report, Zimbabwe’s average health allocation of 10.9% of the national budget (2020–2024) still falls short of the 15% Abuja target. In education, the budget hovers around 3.5% of GDP—below the minimum global benchmark.  Moreover, inefficiencies in budget utilisation across sectors further dilute the impact of already limited public spending. The result is visible in child mortality, malnutrition, and preventable diseases that continue to rob our children of their right to survival and development.

Making Room in the Budget: A Call to Action

A national budget is not simply a financial document; it is a reflection of values and priorities. As a country with one of the youngest populations in Africa—more than 40% of Zimbabweans are under 15—our budgets must boldly reflect this demographic imperative. The future cannot be postponed.

This means increasing the share of the national budget allocated to social sectors and protecting these funds from erosion due to inflation, corruption, or competing priorities. It also means taking deliberate steps to integrate child rights impact assessments into all fiscal policies—ensuring that tax laws, levies, and trade agreements do not inadvertently harm children or exclude vulnerable populations.

Localising the Solution

We commend the success of home-grown innovations like Zimbabwe’s AIDS Levy—a 3% tax on individual income and corporate profits dedicated to the national HIV response. This pioneering financing mechanism has not only ensured a steady, domestically sourced stream of funding for antiretroviral treatment and AIDS prevention programmes but has also fostered self-reliance and reduced dependence on external aid.

Another powerful example of what smart, forward-thinking investment looks like is the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF)—a UNICEF-led, globally coordinated mechanism that incentivizes national commitment to nutrition through dollar-to-dollar matched funding. It supports countries to scale up evidence-based nutrition programmes.

By committing to invest in nutrition programming and essential nutrition supplies, the Zimbabwean Government guarantees to double its investment, maximizing reach and accelerating impact for children. Investing through the CNF is a bold and commendable step towards sustainable domestic financing – and a tangible commitment to improving child health and development outcomes. By leveraging matching contributions, Zimbabwe is not only addressing stunting and wasting but also ensuring that interventions like ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF), vitamin A supplements, and nutrition support reach the most vulnerable children and women.

What We Owe the Children

Even modest investments in childhood yield powerful returns—for families, communities, and the economy. Adults who were malnourished as children earn at least 20% less, while tackling stunting and malnutrition can raise GDP by 2–3% annually. Education delays early marriage, reduces family size, and improves child survival—a child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past age five. In Zimbabwe, nearly one-third of children are developmentally off-track, and 23% are stunted, often with lifelong consequences. The cost of inaction is steep: violence and poor care in childhood can cost up to 8% of global GDP. Investing in children isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s among the smartest economic decisions a country can make.

A Shared Promise

Let us make the 2025 commemoration of the Day of the African Child a turning point. Let us enshrine child-sensitive planning and budgeting into the DNA of our national systems. Let us move from words to budgets, and from budgets to impact.

Because when we plan and budget for children, we plan and budget for Zimbabwe’s future.