Spain-Based Zimbabwean Lady Launches Critical Maternal Support Initiative for Rural Mothers
By Michael Gwarisa When Nomsa Hazel Chimowa found herself unexpectedly vulnerable inside Spain’s healthcare system, it was not the advanced clinical technology or the complex medical protocols that left an indelible mark on her soul. It was the profound human warmth. From the emergency ambulance team that arrived at her door to the doctors and
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Zimbabwe Gender Commission Launches 90-Day Campaign Against Intimate Partner Violence
By Kuda Pembere The Zimbabwe Gender Commission has launched a 90-day national campaign against intimate partner violence following concern over domestic violence cases that have escalated into serious injury and loss of life. Speaking to journalists on Friday, ZGC chairperson Dr Leslie Ncube said the reported increase in physical, sexual and emotional violence within intimate
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Women with disabilities push for greater voice in leadership and decision-making
By Patricia Mashiri Disability advocates have called for women with disabilities to move beyond being viewed as beneficiaries of policies and programmes and take their place as leaders and decision-makers in Zimbabwe. Speaking at a Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe disability forum on women with disabilities in absentia Presidential Special Advisor on Disability Issues Rossy Mpofu
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Meet Dr Neddy Makonza: Zimbabwe’s Fourth Female Orthopaedic Surgeon Wants to Open Doors for More Women
By Michael Gwarisa For Dr Neddy Fungisai Makonza, the journey to becoming an orthopaedic surgeon began long before she entered a medical school or stepped into an operating theatre. It began in childhood, when her late mother would call her “Doctor Neddy”, a name that would eventually become a reality after years of study, specialist
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DatCitizen Launches Backpack Walk in Solidarity With Girls Facing Unwanted Pregnancies
By Michael Gwarisa Women and girls took to the streets in Harare in solidarity with girls and young women facing the burden of early, unwanted and unintended pregnancies in Zimbabwe. The walkathon, organised by DatCitizen, saw participants carry backpacks deliberately weighted with books and sand to symbolise the burden pregnancy can place on a girl’s
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‘I Bled Non-Stop For Seven Days’: Can Zimbabwe’s New Health Law Stop Girls Turning to Unsafe Abortion?
By Michael Gwarisa At 16, Rita Muzadzi (Real name protected) was preparing for her Ordinary Level examinations in Epworth when she discovered she was pregnant. The boy she had been dating, also 16, rejected the pregnancy. Frightened and unsure where to turn, Rita did not tell her mother. Instead, she sought help from an elderly
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For Some Zimbabwean Children, a School Meal Can Mean More Than Food
By Michael Gwarisa “Sometimes we go the whole day without eating because there is no food at school.” For one learner in Buhera District, the reality of school feeding is summed up in a single sentence. For children who depend on meals provided at school, the availability of food can mean more than simply satisfying
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Rebuilding After the Floods: Red Cross Support Gives Beitbridge Families Hope
By Michael Gwarisa in Beitbridge Seventy-year-old Gogo Lucia Changunda walks with a limp as she slowly pushes a wheelbarrow laden with food items and dignity kits. After moving only a few metres from the distribution point, where Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) staff, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) representatives and
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Beyond the Lancet Report, There Are People Like Martha Growing Old With HIV
By Michael Gwarisa For 22 years, Martha Tholanah has lived with HIV. When she was diagnosed on January 3, 2003, the future looked bleak. She had fallen ill and gone for an HIV test shortly before starting a new job. Her CD4 count was just 31, indicating severe immune suppression at a time when an
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‘I have nowhere to start’: Abandoned and pregnant, Sarudzai seeks an abortion
By Kuda Pembere When Sarudzai walked into a youth centre in Hurungwe, she was not looking for a debate about Zimbabwe’s abortion laws. She was looking for help. Four months pregnant with her third child, the 22-year-old mother of two had already made up her mind that she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. Sarudzai’s husband
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