Zimbabwean Chiefs Draw a Line on Child Marriage Through “Not In My Village”
By Michael Gwarisa What began as a youth-led campaign in one province is increasingly evolving into a national movement reshaping how traditional leaders respond to child marriage across Zimbabwe. From roadside billboards carrying anti-child marriage messages to new village by-laws, and strengthened accountability systems, chiefs say the Not In My Village campaign is shifting attitudes
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At 17, Motherhood Changed Her Plans. Family Planning Helped Her Rewrite Them
By Kuda Pembere in Mash Central On a cool Monday morning, Christabel Chiweso arrives at Wadzanayi Clinic, a health facility run by the Shamva Rural District Council. This time, she is not seeking a family planning method for herself. Instead, she has accompanied her sister-in-law, who wants to start using contraception. The two women have
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Zimbabwe Launches National Framework as Adolescent Pregnancies Surge to 22%
By Michael Gwarisa The Government of Zimbabwe has launched a National Multi-Sectoral Framework for the Prevention and Management of Adolescent Pregnancies, describing the initiative as a decisive national response to one of the country’s most urgent public health and development challenges. The framework seeks to coordinate action across government ministries, communities, development partners, traditional leaders,
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Celebrating Men: Recognising the Unsung Pillars of Families, Communities and Nations
By Chaplain Simbarashe P. Chenjerai As the world marks Men’s Health Month and reflects on the contribution of men during June, 21 June presents an important opportunity to acknowledge the often-overlooked role that men continue to play in society. Throughout history, men have served as providers, protectors, builders, innovators, leaders, mentors and custodians of family
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Zimbabwe Launches New Sexual Violence Care Guidelines to Protect All Survivors, Including Men and Boys
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has launched revised Clinical Guidelines on the Care and Management of Survivors of Sexual Violence, strengthening the country’s response to sexual violence and equipping healthcare workers with updated tools to provide comprehensive care in an evolving social environment. The revised guidelines, unveiled by Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Douglas
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Zimbabwe Rebuilds Midwifery Workforce Through Training and Digital Innovation
By Michael Gwarisa “I enjoy midwifery because, to me, it gives me the satisfaction that I am saving humanity and playing a part in bringing lives into this world,” says Sr Sikhangele Mguni, a midwife at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo. For Sr Mguni, those words are not just a reflection. They are a lifetime of
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95 Out of Every 100 Zimbabwean Babies Now Born in Health Facilities
Michael Gwarisa If 100 Zimbabwean women gave birth in 2024, about 95 would have delivered their babies in a clinic or hospital, while only four would have given birth at home, reflecting the country’s continued shift towards safer, facility-based childbirth. The figures were revealed during the launch and dissemination of the 2023-2024 Vital Statistics Report
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Zimbabwe Urged to Invest More in Midwives as Global Shortage Hits One Million
Michael Gwarisa in Bulawayo The Government of Zimbabwe has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the country’s health workforce amid growing calls for increased investment in midwives to help reduce maternal and newborn deaths. Speaking during the International Day of the Midwife commemorations and awards ceremony held at United Bulawayo Hospitals, Deputy Minister of Health and
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Hauna District Hospital Records Zero Maternal Deaths in Over 4,000 Births Since 2022
Michael Gwarisa, Manicaland “My labour pains felt like a running stomach. I did not realise I was about to give birth,” recalls Sophia Uranda from Chavhanga Village in Honde Valley. What began as mild discomfort quickly turned into an emergency. On her way to the clinic, the contractions intensified, forcing her to deliver by the
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The Cost of Inaction: Urgent Attention to Abortion Law in Zimbabwe
By Mildred Mushunje (PhD) & Dean Mutata (BSc, MSc) Background Zimbabwe’s health crisis is often framed in terms of economic decline or health financing gaps. Yet there is another crisis, silent, gendered, and entirely preventable, rooted in abortion policy inaction. Trapped between inherited colonial law, religious anxiety, and political discomfort and misinformed moralistic judgemental attitudes,
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