Zimbabwe's struggle: kids in this African country are growing up in a land where basic needs--and hope--are in short supply.

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It is 8 a.m., and Monty is late for school again. He has been late 10 times this quarter. As punishment, he will have to mow the school's lawn and pull weeds. Monty, 14, is in secondary school in Mutare, a city in eastern Zimbabwe (zim-BAH-bway). Despite his poor attendance record, Monty is a serious student and grateful to be in school. Last year, he wasn't able to attend because his family couldn't afford the monthly fees.

Government schools used to be free and accessible to all children. Now they cost money. This keeps many poor kids from getting an education. The average Zimbabwean's income is less than $1 a day.

"My parents are both sick and unemployed, so there is no money for school fees," Monty tells JS. "We often go to bed hungry, so how can I find money for books and school?"

This year, the school is allowing Monty to attend classes, even though he can't pay the fees. Still, he has a hard time trying to balance schoolwork with his responsibilities at home.

Helping the Family

Every morning at dawn, Monty is up and working. He tends a small garden, where he grows fruits and vegetables. Then he sets up a stand and sells them. After the customers have made their purchases, Monty packs up his stand. Back home, he gets his four younger brothers and sisters ready for school. He walks them to their primary school, then walks another 20 minutes to his own school. He often arrives long after roll call has been taken.

"My teachers do not give me any understanding," says Monty. "I am not late because I am lazy. If I don't work, my whole family will go hungry. I am the eldest, and I am responsible for everyone now."

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Monty's parents have been sick for several years and are getting weaker. They haven't visited a health clinic because they can't afford it, but their symptoms suggest that they have AIDS. According to a recent UNICEF report, nearly one in every five Zimbabweans (20.1 percent) has AIDS. That is one of the highest rates of the disease in the world.

Power Shift

For decades, Zimbabwe was a major exporter of food to neighboring countries. It also was a major producer of tobacco and cotton. By 2000, however, government-approved seizures of white-owned farms had devastated the economy and led to sharp declines in farm production.

Zimbabweans now must endure critical food and fuel shortages, massive unemployment, and the world's highest inflation rate--estimated to be more than 3,700 percent.

Before gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1980, Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia. It was a self-governing British colony dominated by white European immigrants, who were only 5 percent of the population. Black ethnic groups made up the other 95 percent. Large areas of the best farmland were reserved for white farmers.

That changed after a long war between black guerrilla groups and the Rhodesian military. Finally, in 1979, both sides agreed to shift political control to a black majority government. With independence, Robert Mugabe (moo-GAH-bay), a former guerrilla leader, became Prime Minister. By 1987, when he became President, he was head of a one-party state.

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A Tight Grip

Today, Mugabe is still in control. The country is on the brink of disaster, and many people blame him. Originally hailed as a hero and father of independence, Mugabe has seen his popularity decline significantly in recent years.

He has been accused of rigging elections, intimidating opponents, and punishing anyone who speaks out against him or his government. Opposition party supporters challenging his regime have been beaten, imprisoned, or killed.

Zimbabweans in rural areas have suffered some of the worst intimidation and manipulation. They are forced to join Mugabe's political party, ZANU-PF. If caught without their membership card, they must sing the party's songs to prove their loyalty. Anyone who doesn't know the songs is likely to be beaten. The same fate--or worse--befalls rural voters who don't choose Mugabe at election time.

Crippling Blows

Tanaka, 14, lives in a rural area outside of Harare (huh-RAH-ray), Zimbabwe's capital. She and her family share a one-room house built from mud. Her father used to work on a large dairy farm owned by a white farmer. But in 2001, black squatters came and demanded that the owner and his family leave or be killed.

"I remember seeing them [the family] drive out of the farm in their car with just a few suitcases," says Tanaka. "It looked like they were going on holiday and would be back in a week. But after they left, people came from all over the district and just took whatever they could carry--meat out of their freezer, furniture, farm equipment, even their baby's toys and clothes."

The year before, Mugabe had started a land-distribution program. It was needed, he said, to end the unfair system of whites owning the largest and best farmland. But the campaign was chaotic and often violent. Most land went to Mugabe supporters and military leaders. The overwhelming majority of poor blacks got nothing. Most of the people employed on those farms lost their jobs when white landowners fled.

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"When the land-reform campaign was first announced, my parents kept talking about how we would have our own farm soon," says Tanaka. "We were all so excited. But after a few years of watching all the white-owned farms being given to the military officials, we stopped dreaming of having land for ourselves. It would have been better for us if the whites had kept all the farms. At least we had jobs and food back then."

Holding On to Hope

Many Zimbabweans, white and black, agree that land reform was necessary after white-dominated rule ended. But most also agree that the way the program was carried out caused more harm than good. It crippled Zimbabwe's economy and led to shortages of food and other basic goods.

Today, AIDS, government corruption, and a collapsed economy ravage the once-thriving nation. But people have not given up hope.

Zimbabwe's next presidential election is scheduled for March 2008. Tanaka is optimistic. "Mugabe is an old man now. He can't last too much longer," she says. "I am ... preparing for the future. I want to be a secretary when I finish school. It is a good job and will pay me enough so I can send money home to help my parents."

Words to Know

* inflation: a steady increase in prices or a steady decline in the purchasing power of money.

* regime: a government in power; an administration.

* squatter: someone with no legal claim to property who settles there without paging rent.

BY C. HOWERTON IN HARARE

* Objective

* Getting a sense of what life is like for young Zimbabweans.

Word to Know

* ZANU-PF: Mugabe co-founded the Zimbabwean African National Union (ZANU) in a 1963 split from the party of his main political rival. The initials PF, which were added later, stand for Patriotic Front.

* Before Reading

At independence, whites were just 5 percent of the population, and many of those had not even been born in Zimbabwe. Among the 95 percent black population, many had ancestors who had lived there for 10 centuries or more.

Reading prompt: What obstacles confront young Zimbabweans who seek to better their lives?

During Reading

(1) What in the photo on p. 9 suggests that Manly is wearing a school uniform?

(2) Rhodesia was named for Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902), the British-born colonizer of British South Africa. He also established Oxford University's Rhodes Scholar program.

* After Reading

* Revisit: Ask students to answer the Reading Prompt and cite examples from the article to support their answers.

* Keep It Going

Have students track Zimbabwe's upcoming March election (if it is held as scheduled). Discuss the possible ramifications of its results on the young Zimbabweans featured in this article.

RESOURCES

* INTERNET

* Kids With Cameras. Photos by young Zimbabweans. geocities.com /kidswithcameras

* BOOKSHELF

* Shona (Zimbabwe), Gary N. Van Wyk (Rosen Publishing Group, 1997). Grades 6 & up.

* DVDs/VIDEOS

* Great Zimbabwe: Mystery City of Black Africa (DVD). Historians study ruins of an ancient city. (Educational Video Network, 2004).

* CDs/AUDIO

* Explorer: Zimbabwe--The Soul of Mbira (CD). Music featuring traditional thumb piano. (Nonesuch, 2002).

* Rough Guide to the Music of Zimbabwe (CD). (World Music Network, 1996).