HARARE, Zimbabwe— As the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe deepens
and its health systems collapse, UNFPA, the United Nations
Population Fund, has intensified its efforts to aid pregnant
women and their families by providing critical supplies to
hospitals and support to health personnel. The crisis, which has
worsened in the last few months with the spreading cholera
epidemic, is characterized by hyper-inflation, deteriorating
infrastructure, food insecurity, diminished access to basic
social services, and massive unemployment. Large numbers of
mobile and internally displaced people, ex-farm workers, the
poor and the vulnerable have lost their livelihoods and are left
with very limited coping options. Lack of access to basic social
services, such as safe water and proper sanitation, shelter,
health services — including access to reproductive health
services and life-saving emergency obstetric care — have left
vulnerable populations dependent on humanitarian assistance for
survival. The HIV and AIDS pandemic in