The project background is an important part of every proposal. It can be very similar to the project rationale or the project justification. It shows your donor that you did your homework and that your project is planned well. But where can you get the information and data for your project background? And how does one actually look like?
Here you have an example project background for Zimbabwe. If you are planning or working in Zimbabwe then you are welcome to use this blueprint. Be sure to add more specific information about your own project though, and add other relevant data according to the region and place.
Geographically, it is known as a landlocked country in South-Central Africa. The state is smaller than California. Botswana is in the western part of the nation, Zambia on the north, Mozambique on the east, and South Africa on the South. Zimbabwe’s history is very interesting with so many historical stories. After a 15 year long civil war, the country finally got independence in 1980. The land is known as earliest settlers. Due to the desperate poverty and climatic challenges results in the height of the crisis in mid-November 2008, the inflation rate was 79.6 billion percent. The government initiated the land reform to eliminate the income inequality: distributing the land of rich white commercial farmers for redistribution to poor and middle-income people in Zimbabwe but it results in the violence and still land is not accessible to the neediest low-income farmers.
The total population 14,030,368 of Zimbabwe is still suffering the economic and political issues. Indeed, the country’s human development index is 0.535, ranking it 156th in the world. About 72.3% of Zimbabwean people are under the poverty line and going through miserable situations. People here only live for 61.1 years on average.
Though the literacy rate looks good both gender male and female enjoy the equal education, 86.5% Zimbabwean are pretty liberal to get the education. However, the ratio of child mortality is 31.9 deaths per 1,000 live births and maternal mortality ratio 443 deaths per 100,000 live births. It follows 11.2% of children are suffering from Malnutrition. About 67.8% of the population is living in rural areas and they observe the old fashioned way of Agriculture. Agriculture and Mining are the major economic activities so there is no alternatives income diversifying sources. The nation’s GDP accounts only $34.27 billion where agriculture contributes only 12% to GDP.
This struggling economy is, moreover, plagued by incredibly high corruption, Zimbabwe being listed as the most corrupted country in the world ranking 157 among the 180 countries.
The country’s ease of doing business scores 50.44, seems doing the business isn’t favorable and difficulty to intervene to better the population’s living conditions. Climate change comes along with drought and lack of water. Different water borne diseases like Cholera and Dysentery are the major consequences of Global Warming. The development projects specially designed to address these issues will help the state to run smoothly.
If you are looking for more information then there are other sources that you could use like the OECD, World Bank or the UN.
Unless otherwise indicated, the data was retrieved from the CIA World Factbook.
Source: CIA The fact world book (unless otherwise indicated)
• Population: 14,030,368
• Density: 42.729 per sq./km (The World Bank)
• Area (Rural/ Urban) – 67.8% /32.2%
• Under the poverty line: 72.3%
Education
• Literacy rate- 86.5%
• Average years of schooling- 10 years
• Average years of schooling male vs. female- 10 /10
Health
• Average life expectancy- 61.1 years
• Child mortality – 31.9 deaths/1,000 live births
• Maternal mortality- 443 deaths/100,000 live births
• Stunting/Malnourishment in children- 8.4%
• Fertility rate – 3.97 children born/woman
Economy
• Most important sectors- Mining and Agriculture
• GDP – $34.27 billion
• Unemployment rate (15-24)- 16.5%
Ecology
• % of the forested area- 39.5% (CIA The fact world book)
• Number of National Parks-10 National parks
Other:
• Rank Gender Equality Index -0.534 Rank-128 (http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GII)
• Child marriage- 29% (20-24 yrs) 1999 (UN Data)
• Human Development Index- 0.535/Rank 156 (http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/ZWE )
• Corruption Rank- 157/180 (https://www.transparency.org/country/ZWE)
• Ease of doing business-50.44 (http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/zimbabwe)
Sajana Bhadel is a President of Girls Empowered by Travel-Nepal since 2015. As a professional social worker, she has long been involved in interventions at different phases of program planning, administration, and logistics, monitoring, and evaluation of program sustainability processes and community ownership. She holds the Master Degree in Economics.
