Plan's work suspended in Zimbabwe

The government of Zimbabwe has officially suspended all field operations by aid groups and NGOs until further notice.

The Zimbabwe Presidential run off election took place on Friday 27 June as a one-candidate race. Mr Mugabe was sworn in as the new President on Sunday 29 June amid international protest at the way the elections were conducted. The leader of the the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, pulled out of the elections due to widespread violence and intimidation.

Plan has watched this situation closely and although our operations in country reamin suspended, Plan is assessing the situation to see how quickly activities can be reactivated. There are no reports to date of sponsored children or their families being directly affected by the current political unrest. 

The main effect for sponsored children will be the fact that few schools have been able to operate properly as many teachers have stayed away due to threatened and actual violence against them. There are also ongoing problems with food prices and availability.

Please continue to check this website for updates on the situation in the country. In the meantime, the temporary suspension means that correspondence to and from sponsored children is subject to delays. If you are awaiting a response to a letter or gift you have sent for your sponsored child, or for their annual update, we hope that you will bear with us in waiting for these communications to arrive. If we receive any information about a sponsored child being affected by the violence then we will contact the sponsor concerned straight away.

If you have any queries or concerns about any of the above then please contact our Supporter Relations team on 020 7482 9777 or by email to mail@plan-international.org.