Topic: 2026 – Digital Equity for Children
Country: Zimbabwe
Delegate Name: Eva Carr
2/8/26
United Nations Children’s Fund
From: Zimbabwe
Delegate Name: Eva Carr
Topic: Digital Equity for Children
Zimbabwe is a country with 42% of families and their children who live below the poverty line and don’t receive the basic infrastructure other countries enjoy. Zimbabwe and the UN have launched several programs distributing technology to children throughout counties however, only 50% of the population has access to electricity and 38.4% of individuals have access to the internet as of 2023. The distribution of technology from the UN will never benefit children if they don’t have the infrastructure to use the provided technology, hence, digital equity will never truly reach Zimbabwean children unless all children have access to the infrastructure needed for technology.
Some of the root causes for this digital divide is that 67% of Zimbabweans live in rural areas. This makes Internet access harder to obtain for children who learn online or educational resources. Additionally, access and data is expensive. The cost for roughly 80 hours of Internet browsing is $25 – $28 US dollars; however, 42% of the population lives in poverty. This inequality can affect children’s ability to access the Internet from their family. It also doesn’t benefit children that there’s inequitable access to the Internet between the urban and rural population in Zimbabwe. Only 16% of the rural population uses the Internet compared to 54% of the urban population that uses the Internet.
Aside from the constraints of digital equity in Zimbabwe, multiple programs have recently contributed their time, resources, and money to help resolve this conflict. At the beginning of 2026, Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education provided 815 laptops, 708 projectors, and 2,112 tablets, which will be distributed to 113 schools across seven districts in Manicaland and Matabeleland. Furthermore, a solar installation program funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Developmental Office (FCDO) provided solar panels to power schools, ensuring access to connectivity in environments with low-to-no connectivity. If more programs like these can provide access to technology along with the government investing in these needs, initiatives to train teachers and students on digital literacy skills, monitoring and evaluation of educational policies may ensure resources are distributed properly to address digital educational inequalities.
Zimbabwe is looking forward to collaborating with fellow delegates on this crucial topic by promoting and ensuring the reduction of digital inequity for children globally, working towards building a brighter future (literally and figuratively) for all children.
Citations
https://www.fightinequality.org/blog/education-inequalities-zimbabwe#:~:text=The%20data%20tariffs%20in%20Zimbabwe,poor%20rural%20population%20to%20suffer.
https://fesmedia-africa.fes.de/news/the-intersection-of-digital-poverty-and-information-disorders-in-zimbabwe.html
https://giga.global/powering-change-how-procurement-driven-solarization-is-transforming-zimbabwes-classrooms/
https://pulse.internetsociety.org/en/reports/ZW/#:~:text=Percentage%20of%20the%20population%20that%20uses%20the,areas%20*%20Urban:%2054%25%20*%20Rural:%2016%25
https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/zimbabwe-strengthening-digital-learning-underserved-schools#:~:text=Zimbabwe%20:%20Strengthening%20digital%20learning%20in,Blog%20%7C%20Global%20Partnership%20for%20Education&text=With%20support%20from%20GPE%20and,Harare%20on%20January%205%2C%202026.
