ZIMBABWE has over the years made significant strides in terms of advancing Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) services to a number of people from different age groups. However, despite the progress that has been made, there still remains some unfinished business that need to be faced head on in order to ensure equitable access to SRH services.
Some of the unfinished business hindering Zimbabwe’s progress towards attaining SRH targets include rape or sexual abuse, Gender Based Violence (GBV), teen pregnancies, early child marriages, poor access to sanitary health and lack of access to HIV and AIDS prevention services amongst a host of others.
In light of the unfinished business, champions have emerged with the mission to end some of the harmful practices and gaps that hinder acces to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights services. As has become a norm at HealthTimes, every year we honour health champions through publishing a list of individuals who do outstanding work in their fields of expertise. This year, we have decided to honour individuals who have done tremendous work in the SRHR field. The list below sums it all up. NB// Please note that this list in not in any order.
Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda
Nyaradzai is the Founder and Chief Executive of the Rozaria Memorial Trust and a trained Human Rights Lawyer as well as the African Union Goodwill Ambassador for Ending Child Marriage. Apart from possessing this impressive Curriculum Vitae (CV), Nyaradzai through her organisation, Rozaria Memorial Trust has pioneered the Nhanga sessions where they engage girls in grassroots and hard to reach areas to discuss various SRH issues, child marriages, HIV and AIDS among other issues. They have also started work around sensitizing traditional leaders around child marriages, Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and other SRHR issues.
Getrude Shumba
Getrude Shumba is the Executive Director for Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT). While FACT has been around for a while now, over the past few years, their new model of integrating HIV, SRHR and economic skills strengthening programs have empowered many young women and girls. FACT through the DREAMS project has empowered young sex workers through providing technical training and skills strengthening programs that have seen girls eke out a living out of income generating projects and formal employment away from sex work. Thanks to the able leadership of Getrude and her team. Now the girl child can DREAM again.
Chipo Tsitsi Mlambo
Chipo is a maternal health adviocate and founder for RHONAFLO Foundation, a non-profit organization that enhances safe births through the provision of APONA Hampers. The APONA Hamper is an incentive package of key birth associated components provided to expectant mothers in need to encourage facility-based safe and quality childbirth. These items are required when a pregnant mom goes to deliver her baby. While Chipo is a foot solider whose work in communities such as Hopley and other peri-urban settings speaks for itself, she also uses her social media platforms to communicate some of the heart rending encounters young girls face during pregnancies and delivery.
Kumbirai Chatora
Kumbirai is the Population Solutions for Health (PSH)Director- Social Marketing. Kumbirai is leading one of Zimbabwe’s most successful campaigns against intimate partner violence “Love Shouldn’t Hurt.” The campaign started mainly as a media campaign against domestic or intimate partner violence. However, the campaign has since grown into becoming a household name and the Love Shouldn’t Hurt line has become the country’s anthem against intimate partner violence. While most programs around GBV and SRH target girls and women, the Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign has gone a long way in changing men’s perceptions around GBV and intimate partner violence.
Tendayi Gudo
Tendayi is the National Director for the Apostolic Women’s Empowerment Trust (AWET). Tendayi and her organisation have been working closely with Apostolic sects in nthe country where they are sensitizing Apositolic and white garment communities on the imporntance of seeking healthcare sxervices as well as empowering them to shun child marriages, teen pregnancies, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and to take up HIV and AIDS testing and counseling.
Tadiwanashe Burukai-Matutu
Tadiwanashe Burukai Matutu is the Executive Director for WoMandla Foundation. Her work is mainly confined to Zvishavane in the Midlands province and Masvingo where Womadlah foundation is actively involved in helping young women and girls in making decisions that affect their Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Through community engagements such the Pasi-Pemuti (Under the Tree) programs, Tadiwanshe and her organization have helped a number of girls in Zvishavane through empowering them around SRHR issues.
Ekenia Chifamba
Ekenia is the director for Shamwari Yemwana Sikana (SYS) trust, a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to empower the girl child through collaborating with local, national and multinational corporate partners. Apart from her various accolades and work, of late, Ekenia through her organisation have set up a Girls Only One Stop Empowerment Centre in rural Seke. The shelter will offer shelter to girls aged zero to 18 who would have experienced violence of any kind and who are in need of a safe shelter away from home or the perpetrator. The centre is tailor-made to provide comprehensive response to survivors through the provision of emergency health aid, legal aid, psychological support, counselling, nutritional aid and skills development.
Gumisai Bonzo
She is the founder and director for Transsmart, a non-profit organisation that works to promote the identification, inclusion, integration and assimilation of human rights issues affecting transgender and intersex persons. The LBGTIQ community in Zimbabwe is generally frowned upon even in healthcare settings. However, Gumisai’s organisation has been working with the mentioned groups in ensuring they get their specialized SRH services including accessing hormonal replacement therapy, HIV and AIDS prevention services, counseling and linking members to care.
Edinah Masiyiwa
Edinah is a feminist and the executive Director for the Women’s Action Group Zimbabwe. Over the years, Edinah has been instrumental in advocating for safer termination of pregnancy to those in need of the service. Her organisation, WAG has engaged policy makers and traditional leaders on various platforms to sensitize them on the need to amend the country’s termination of pregnancy Act.
Walter Chikanya
Walter is the program manager at Zichire. Walter leads a team of highly motivated staff who are determined to advance access to quality SRH services for boys, men, women and girls. Through the Brotha2Brotha Program, Zichire has been working with boys in Dzivarasekwa Harare, and remote parts of the country through the Brotha2Brother program to promote gender equality as well as enhance their understanding of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and reproductive rights. Through a SAFE SPACE program, Zichire has also reached person with disabilities in grassroots areas such as the UMP to cater even for people with disabilities who are also at the receiving end of GBV especially during disasters. Zichire hos done these among other SRH programs.
This list was compiled by the Health Times monitoring team:
