Zimbabwe Crackdown: The Cruel Politics of Refusing Relief

By Scott Mowbray

Earlier this week came the shocking news that the government of Zimbabwe had halted the relief operations of CARE because workers for the aid organization have allegedly been involved in supporting opposition to President Robert Mugabe (a few days later, the government extended the ban to all aid groups). As a former CARE kid (my father worked for more than 13 years in countries such as Afghanistan and Indonesia), this story was sickening to read. CARE and organizations like it provide relief to people in the most dire situations on Earth. I have seen children eating CARE food who otherwise might have starved, and I’ve seen kids given rehydration medicine who probably would have died from diarrhea. CARE’s work in Zimbabwe is reported to reach 500,000 people. Read More