By Michael Gwarisa Sometimes, all it takes for a destiny helper to find you is being at the right place at the right time. For Cecilia Mhande (20), from Karoi in Mashonaland West Province, it took her willingness to share her story as a beneficiary of the Sista2Sista program with journalists during the 2024 National AIDS Council (NAC) Editors Media Tour. In 2023, when the Advanced Level (A Level) results were announced, Cecilia was overjoyed to discover she had passed with 11 points. However, her happiness was short-lived, as the…
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Multi-Stakeholder Meeting Targets Documentation Gaps Blocking Women’s Access to Healthcare
By Michael Gwarisa To address persistent challenges related to access to documentation and healthcare for women and girls, the Institute for Young Women’s Development (IYWD), in collaboration with the Alliance for Community-Based Organizations (ACBOS), hosted a one-day Multi-Stakeholder Engagement meeting in Harare. The meeting convened key stakeholders and community representatives from regions where access to documentation remains a significant hurdle. Women in rural and mining communities, particularly in Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West provinces, face compounded challenges stemming from inadequate access to proper identification documents. These include birth certificates, national…
Read MoreAlcon Celebrates One Year of Advancing Eye Care Through its Phaco Development Program in Africa
By Michael Gwarisa Alcon, the global leader in eye care dedicated to helping people see brilliantly, today commemorated the first anniversary of its African Phaco Development Program (PD). This milestone reflects the program’s significant achievements across South Africa, Kenya, and Zambia, with plans for further regional expansion. Alcon remains committed to the principle of “Skill Africa, by Africa, for Africa,” as it continues to enhance healthcare capacity and improve access to eye care across the continent. According to the World Health Organization1, over 110 million people in Africa suffer from…
Read MoreWHO Deploys Experts To Investigate Fatal Mysterious Flu In DRC
By Michael Gwarisa The World Health Organization (WHO) is deploying experts to support health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo carry out further investigations to determine the cause of a yet undiagnosed disease that has been reported in Panzi, a locality in Kwango province in the southwest of the country. Laboratory tests are being conducted to determine the cause. The WHO experts are joining the National Rapid Response Team and are on their way to Panzi. The team comprises epidemiologists, clinicians, laboratory technicians and infection prevention and control,…
Read MoreUNFPA Partners with Social Workers and Universities to Strengthen GBV Response
By Michael Gwarisa The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has announced a strategic partnership with the Council of Social Workers, academic institutions, and government entities to enhance case management services for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) under the Women at the Centre programme. The announcement was made on December 6, 2024, as part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign. Gender-based violence continues to plague Zimbabwe, with nearly one in two women experiencing physical or sexual violence. To address this crisis, the UNFPA initiative, funded by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, aims to…
Read MoreYouth Urged to Lead the Fight Against Drug and Substance Abuse
By Kuda Pembere Zimbabwean youth should take a leading role in combating drug and substance abuse, a Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development, and Vocational Training official said on Friday. Speaking at the launch of the 14th SAYWHAT Students’ Conference and the “3D – Don’t Drug Your Dreams Away Campaign,” Deputy Director Mr. Osward Mudhunguyo emphasized the critical role of youth in addressing this challenge. Our young people should be at the heart of this battle. As the most affected group, you have a unique and powerful role to play in…
Read MoreHRF donates ICT equipment to Public Health Emergency Operation Centre
By Kuda Pembere The Health Resilience Fund (HRF), through one of its implementing partners, the World Health Organization (WHO), has given to the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre some ICT equipment worth US$90 000 for better real-time data collection in the preparedness and response of public health emergencies. Officiating the handover ceremony, Health and Child Care Ministry Permanent Secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze in a speech read on his behalf by Acting Public Health Chief Director Dr Jaensch Mutede said the equipment would go a long away for prompt updates amidst…
Read MorePSH Hosts Chiefs Indaba To Commemorate 16 Days Of Activism Against GBV
By Kuda Pembere in Mazowe Population Solutions for Health (PSH) engaged traditional chiefs from some parts of the country on gender-based violence and child marriages issues where it emerged Mashonaland Central ranked highest in the country. The 16 days of Activism against GBV chiefs indaba held in Mazowe was graced by chiefs from Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East as well as the Ambassador of Sweden to Zimbabwe His Excellency Per Lindgarde. We welcome this program. As chiefs when it comes to the issue of child marriages, we refer the cases…
Read MoreHealth Ministry implements Electronic Health Records in all Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe health facilities
By Kuda Pembere recently in UMP The Ministry of Health and Child Care has managed to install and activate for use, the Electronic -Health Records (HER) system in all health facilities in Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe district. Mashambanhaka clinic in Uzumba was the first facility in the country to implement the EHR system. Speaking to journalists during a UMP tour to assess the EHR implementation organized by the Health Ministry, the district medical officer Dr Gladman Mubonani said the system reduced the use of eight paper based registers. This is the district which…
Read MorePSZ takes SRH services to Madziwa’s doorstep
By Kuda Pembere recently in Madziwa On Wednesday, November 27, Population Services Zimbabwe (PSZ) delivered crucial Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) services to Shamva District in Mashonaland Central under a project titled Self-Care. Scores of people gathered at the PSZ tent, where the organization provided free reusable pads to school-aged children and jadelle implants to adolescents and young women aged 10 to 24 years. The Self-Care project, funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) under the Safeguarding Young People program, is supported by the Swiss Development Cooperation and the Embassy…
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