The Impact of Hyperinflation on the Aged: the Case of Mucheke, Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe experienced one of the highest inflation rates of our time. The greater part of the population lived below the poverty line and there was immense suffering. As is the case when such crisis happen, women and children are often identified as the vulnerable groups, but the elderly rarely get much attention. This book explores the living conditions the elderly found themselves under these circumstances. It identified an old age institution which was supposed to play a central role in protecting the elderly and sought to establish if under such harsh conditions such institutions could function effectively. It also presents some of the coping strategies which some elderly people employed in order to survive.