The Roots of Forced Migration from Zimbabwe: A Head Teacher’s Account

There are no parents in the small village of Tunke in Matebeleland North, Zimbabwe. Mothers and fathers alike have all gone elsewhere to look for work and money as there are no local opportunities: a situation worsening with climate change. The children are left with their grandparents in the village. Without a way out by gaining marketable skills, they too face extreme poverty and a large number of them will eventually become forced migrants. In this audio account (and transcript) the head teacher of the local Primary school spells out the conditions which condemn bright children to a precarious future and makes a dignified plea for support to break the cycle.