By Michael Gwarisa
Renowned poet and musician Albert Nyathi and Songstress, Adiona Chidzonga, have been re-appointed brand ambassadors for the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), in a move that is set to boost the uptake of Family planning services in Zimbabwe.
Nyathi and Adiona’s contracts will run for one year with the possibility of renewal. Adiona’s role as ZNFPC brand ambassador commenced in 2018 and the council has been renewing it over years. Nyathi’s role involves being a Male Motivator, whose sole mandate is to raise awareness on Family Planning through dismantling the patriarchal social, cultural, and harmful practices derailing efforts to increase uptake of Family Planning services in communities.
Adiona on the hand works to promote Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) services and uptake of Family Planning services or contraceptives by girls and young women. Over the years, she has traveled the breath and length of Zimbabwe where she interacted with girls and young women.
Speaking during the signing event, Adiona said she was elated about her contract renewal and ready to get down to business.
I am excited for the future and it’s a new horizon for ZNFPC, and I cant be prouder,” said Adiona.
“I am still very much passionate about women and girls but I would like to venture more in the boys area. I fell a lot of girls, from the moment you reach your puberty age, you are taught how to be a wife, eat and proper antiquate but for boys as a community, we are sort of slacking and we need to rope them in.”
Mr Nyathi said reaching out to the young generation needed new approaches and new strategies that are relevant to the young g generation.
“I am very grateful to have been involved in these matters. My task is a tough one because I am of age and I age to bring myself down to the youngsters because they are the ones with the challenges. These days, people are doing short skits. They are effective in communication as compared to traditional ways of communicating,” said Mr Nyathi.
Meanwhile, Mr Farai Machinga, the ZNFPC Executive Director said the renewal of the brand ambassador contracts was influenced by the impressive results from their previous work with the organisation.
“Let me give some of the key achievements these two has realised over the years as brand ambassador and male motivator. As a national we managed to increase our Morden Contraceptive Prevalence. It was around 67 percent but now it’s at 69 percent. We also managed to reduce the Unmet Need for Family Planning. We were at 13 percent as at 2015 and we are now as 10 percent. We are working toward achieving 6.5 percent. Adolescent Fertility reduced 108/1000 to 93/1000,” said Mr Machinga.
He added that the two public figures also act as our public faces as the ZNFPC in working towards promoting the ZNFPC brand as well as increase awareness among communities.
“Communities need to know the advantages of using Family Planning services as well as Sexual Reproductive Health services. We are also talking about their influential role in terms of maintaining the image of the organisation so wherever they are, just know they are carrying the image of ZNFOC with them. For the times and year we have been working them and I am proud to say they have done a lot in terms of achievements and keeping us on the Radar as ZNFPC.”
He also said the combined efforts of the two brand ambassadors is set to increase uptake different family planning services by both men and women.
“The uniqueness of these two leaders is that we then identified a gap in terms of male involvement and male participation in Family Planning as well as sexual reproductive Health. We had Adiona already then we sat down and agreed to have one who can influence the males in the community and that’s how we came up with Albert Nyathi as the male motivator,” said Mr Machinga.
